Fun Fearless Foodie

I came across a Tweet a few weeks back that featured an article in the New York Times written by Mark Bittman about cooking pasta in the same style you make risotto.  <Click here to read the article>.  I am an absolute sucker for risotto.  I love not only its creamy texture, but how versatile it is (for example, my favorite is butternut squash risotto).

When I read this article it was sort of like a light bulb went off inside my head and I said “duh!”  Why didn’t I ever think of this?? It is apparently a tradition that dates back to 1700′s Rome, but to my fresh eyes it seemed like a perfect challenge.  Pasta when prepared traditionally by boiling in water really has no flavor, it is up to whatever sauce or cream you coat it with to make it shine.  But preparing pasta like risotto gives it a whole new depth of flavor that allows it to be enjoyed in a new way.

If you have never made risotto and are wondering what the heck i’m talking about it, it’s simply arborrio rice cooked slowly with aromatics and some type of stock that is added a bit at time, leaving it with a rich flavor and al dente crunch.  It does require some babysitting, but takes no more than 20 minutes.

To substitute the arborrio rice you could use any type of pasta, but I think a short thick noodle would work best, such as penne, orecchiette, or corkscrew (which is what I used).  And as with all my favorite recipes, next comes your imagination to really make the dish stand out.  One of my favorite ways to prepare risotto is “Milanese” style, it is cooked with saffron infused chicken stock and white wine and topped with butter and Parmesan cheese.  That is the approach I took last night and to make it a meal I topped it with a bit of tomato sauce and grilled flank steak I had leftover from the night before.

Pasta Milanese

Serves 2 hungry people(or 4 modest side dishes)

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup diced onion
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 tablespoons EVOO
• 1/4 cup white wine (whatever you have will work)
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 1 teaspoon saffron threads
• 1/2 pound corkscrew pasta
• 1 tablespoon butter
• Parmesan cheese (add as little or as much as you like)
• Salt and pepper to season

Directions

1. Heat the chicken stock in a sauce pot and drop in saffron threads.  Keep at a low simmer.
2. In a seprate sauce pot heat EVOO over medium low heat.  When ready toss in onions and cook until soft, about 5 minutes.
3. Add in garlic and cook an additional minute.
4. Pour in pasta and coat with the oil and aromatics.
5. Add wine and cook until the liquid reduces, about 1-2 minutes.
6. Pour in just enough chicken stock to cover the pasta and cook until the liquid almost evaporates.  Continue this step until the pasta is cooked to al dente.  You may need to add more stock or dilute with some water if you need more liquid.
7. Coat with butter and Parmesan cheese and mix until melted.
8. Add salt and pepper to season.
9. Enjoy!

Remember to get creative, you can serve with any protein or mix in veggies.  I hope you enjoy this “new” take on pasta as much as I have!