How to up your pasta game
Who would have thought pasta could become such a precious commodity? If you have managed to get your hands on the stuff, you want to do it right. From Rome’s gloriously simple cacio e pepe – spaghetti coated in a silken, tangy pecorino and freshly-crushed black pepper – to a light, summery festoni with caramelised courgettes and zesty lemon, we’ve picked our favourite recipes. Simple, humble ingredients turned utterly beautiful… we’re living la dolce vita right here.
Cacio e pepe
Serves 4
300g good quality, dried spaghetti or tagliatelle
2 teaspoons black peppercorns (ready ground black pepper is also okay)
80g good pecorino cheese
1 knob of butter
Grate the pecorino cheese very finely, then pound the peppercorns in a pestle and mortar till fine. Sieve the peppercorns into a small bowl, leaving behind the husks and hard pieces. Cook the pasta in boiling salted water. In a large frying pan on the lowest setting, melt the butter with the pepper. Once the pasta is cooked, lift it into the butter mixture using tongs, allowing a bit of the cooking water to come with it. Toss the pasta with the butter mixture until coated. Take off the heat and sprinkle over three quarters of the cheese then leave, without stirring, for one minute – otherwise the cheese forms stringy balls as the pasta is too hot. After a minute, toss the rest of the cheese into the pasta and serve immediately with a green salad.
Springtime evening festoni
Serves 3
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 to 2 red onions, chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed or chopped
2 courgettes, thinly sliced into long pieces
1 courgette, sliced into discs
1 tablespoon butter
1 lemon
Handful of basil leaves, chopped
225g pasta – festoni or whole wheat penne work well
Grated Parmesan, to serve
Heat the oil in a saucepan and fry the onions until soft and starting to brown. Add the garlic and the two courgettes and cook for 10 minutes, stirring regularly. Meanwhile, heat a small frying pan with a dash of olive oil and fry the courgette discs until turning brown and crispy, and then set aside. After 10 minutes, add a tablespoon of butter to the onion, garlic and courgette mixture. Turn the heat down and leave to cook slowly for 15 minutes. While this is cooking, bring a pan of salted water to the boil and cook the pasta. Add about a tablespoon of the pasta water to the onion, garlic and courgette mixture and grate in the zest of a lemon. Add a squeeze of lemon to taste and add in the chopped basil leaves. Drain the pasta and serve the sauce with the crispy courgette discs on top. Sprinkle with plenty of Parmesan and bring to the table with a colourful salad.
Sausage and fennel seed fusilli
Serves 2
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 pinch chilli powder
Olive oil
250g of sausages
100ml white wine
Juice and zest of half a lemon
250g fusilli or penne pasta
Dessert spoon of butter
Handful of grated Parmesan, plus more to serve
Crush the fennel seeds with a pestle and mortar. Heat a dash of olive oil in a frying pan. Squeeze the meat out of the sausages into the pan, either in small balls or break up with a spoon, discarding the sausage skins. Fry until the meat starts to go brown, then add the crushed fennel seeds and chilli powder. Cook for about 5 to 10 minutes, stirring often. Then add the wine and let it reduce by a half. Add the lemon zest and juice. Keep on a low heat while you cook the pasta in salted boiling water. When al dente, drain the pasta, keeping a small ladleful of the pasta water aside. Add the pasta to the sausage mixture, checking it is cooked with no pink meat beforehand. Then add the butter, Parmesan and a few spoonfuls of the pasta water and stir to give a shiny sauce. Serve with more grated Parmesan on top and a glass of vino.