Get Cooking: 150 Simple Recipes to Get You Started in the Kitchen (18 page)

3.
Stir in the garlic and red pepper flakes, then pour in the white wine, and cook, uncovered, over medium heat for about 3 minutes, or until the wine cooks down to about half of its original volume. (This allows some of the wine, plus some of its alcohol, to evaporate, concentrating the flavors.)

4.
Add the clams, cover, and cook, shaking the pot occasionally, for 3 minutes without opening the lid. After this amount of time, take a look to see if the clams have opened. If some are still unopened, give the pot a shake, cover the pot again, and cook for another minute or so, until all of the clams open. (Discard any that fail to open.) With the pot still over the heat, add the cooked linguine and toss for about 30 seconds to mix well.

5.
Remove the pot from the heat. Add the butter, sprinkle in the parsley, grind in some black pepper, and toss again.

6.
Serve right away, using tongs to put some linguine in each bowl, and then topping with some of the clams. Be sure to include some of the liquid at the bottom of the pot in each serving. Pass the pepper mill and a shaker of red pepper flakes.

KEEPING CLAMS

Buy your clams (or any shellfish) from a store with a high turnover so you can be sure they’re as fresh as possible. Don’t leave them in a closed plastic bag once you get them home. Instead, pour them into a bowl, cover them with a damp cloth, and put them in the refrigerator, where they’ll keep for a day or two. Just before cooking, rinse the clams and scrub them with a vegetable brush under cold running water to clean them.

spaghetti alla carbonara

Makes 3 to 4 servings

K
ind of like having bacon and eggs for dinner. And spaghetti. What could be bad? This classic Italian pasta will make a great addition to your cooking repertoire. Once you master it, as long as you’ve got bacon (keep some in the freezer), eggs, Parmesan, and spaghetti, you can turn out a luxury dish for yourself and your friends on very short notice. The heat of the pasta cooks the eggs just enough to turn them into a creamy sauce. Just how creamy depends on how quickly you work and how much reserved pasta water you add. It sounds tricky, but you’ll discover you really can’t go wrong, and you’ll see how simple the whole process really is. This is definitely a “make just before serving” kind of dish. Leftovers can be reheated in a microwave or skillet, but the egg will go from silky to scrambled. Still tasty, just less texturally amazing.

1.
Crack the eggs into a large bowl and beat them lightly with a whisk until you no longer see bits of egg white. Add the Parmesan, garlic, parsley, and black pepper, and continue whisking to combine everything. Set aside.

2.
Cook the bacon in a skillet or in the microwave (see Chapter 8: Party Snacks) until it is crisp; then let it cool and break it into ¼-inch pieces.

3.
While the bacon is browning, put a large pot of cold water to boil over high heat, and add a tablespoon of salt. Place a large colander in the sink. When the water boils, add the spaghetti, keeping the heat high. Cook for the amount of time recommended on the package, tasting a strand toward the end of the suggested time to be sure it is not getting overcooked. When the pasta is
just
tender enough to bite into comfortably but not yet mushy, ladle out and save a generous cup of the pasta water, then dump the remaining water-and-pasta into the colander. Shake to mostly drain (it’s okay to leave some water clinging).

4.
Working quickly, add the hot pasta to the bowl containing the egg mixture and stir it immediately with tongs or a fork to coat the pasta thoroughly. Add the olive oil, the bacon, and 2 tablespoons of the reserved pasta water and stir to combine. The sauce should have a thick, creamy consistency. If the pasta looks dry or sticky, add another tablespoon or two of the pasta water. Serve right away, passing around additional Parmesan, plus a pepper mill.

rigatoni al forno with roasted asparagus and onions

Makes 3 to 4 servings

B
aked pasta dishes are great for bringing to someone else’s place. This one is especially suited for that purpose because it tastes as good warm or at room temperature as it does hot. This recipe uses a single pan to first roast the vegetables in olive oil (which gives them amazingly deep, sweet, complex flavor) and then to bake the pasta. The other big flavor secret here is a generous amount of balsamic vinegar, which reduces and intensifies in the oven. If you like, cut one of the onions into smaller chunks (½-inch or smaller) and the other into larger (¾-inch) pieces. The smaller ones will become part of the sauce, and the larger ones will add a slightly (and delightfully) crunchy texture.

1.
Adjust the oven rack to the center position, and preheat the oven to 425°F (375°F if you’ll be using a glass pan). Put a large pot of cold water to boil over high heat, and add a tablespoon of salt. Place a large colander in the sink.

2.
Pour 3 tablespoons of the olive oil into a 9-by 13-inch baking pan, and add the onions and asparagus. Shake and tilt the pan to get all the vegetables coated with the oil. Roast in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the vegetables are fork-tender and the onion edges are beginning to brown. Remove from the oven and set aside. Turn the oven down to 300°F.

3.
When the pasta water boils, add the rigatoni, keeping the heat high. Cook for the amount of time recommended on the package, tasting the pasta toward the end of the suggested time to be sure it is not getting overcooked. When it is
just
tender enough to bite into comfortably but not
yet mushy, ladle out and save 1 cup of the pasta water, then dump the rest of the water-plus-pasta into the colander. Shake to mostly drain (it’s okay to leave some water clinging). Then transfer the pasta to the pan containing the roasted onions and asparagus.

4.
Toss in the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil, plus the garlic and a heaping ¼ cup (a little more than half) of the Parmesan. Pour in the vinegar and the reserved cup of pasta cooking water, sprinkle in the salt, and stir to combine.

5.
Sprinkle the breadcrumbs and the remaining Parmesan over the top, put the pan in the oven, and bake, uncovered, for 15 to 20 minutes, or until lightly golden on top. Serve hot, warm, or at room temperature, topped with a good amount of freshly ground black pepper.

TOASTED BREADCRUMBS

These work just about anywhere, and you’ll find them suggested as a finishing touch in recipes throughout this book. To make them, toast some really good whole wheat or rustic artisan-style bread until it is crisp but not too dark. Let the toast cool completely, so it’s quite hard. Then put it in a bowl and crumble it with your fingers, or put it in a plastic bag and roll with a bottle or a rolling pin. For more flavor, toss the crumbs in a skillet over medium heat with just enough good-quality olive oil to moisten them, stirring frequently, until the crumbs are golden and crisp. Toasted without oil, breadcrumbs keep for a long time and are multipurpose; toasted with oil, they are best used quickly and are incomparably delicious.

linguine with spinach and peas

Makes 3 to 4 servings

C
ulinary secret: A great dish, even a great pasta, doesn’t have to involve a lot of actual
cooking
. In this one, the heat of the pasta does most of the work, wilting the spinach, melting the cheese, warming the peas, and bringing all the flavors together beautifully. It’s an easy weeknight supper that could also double as an elegant little dish to serve to friends. Use the baby spinach that comes prewashed in bags or boxes—no stemming necessary. Of all the
get creative
suggestions in the list that follows, I strongly recommend throwing on a few toasted pine nuts. (Put them in a dry skillet over low heat and shake them often until they are lightly browned, watching them like a hawk so they don’t burn.) Very worthwhile.