The Essential James Beard Cookbook (46 page)

½ cup fresh peas

½ cup tiny, new green beans

½ cup (½-inch slices) stemmed thin asparagus

½ cup sliced mushrooms

4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter

1 cup light cream, warmed

Kosher salt and lots of freshly ground black pepper

Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the angel hair pasta and cook according to the package directions until the pasta is al dente, timing it so the sauce and pasta are done at the same time.

Lightly cook the peas, beans, asparagus, and mushrooms in the butter in a large, deep skillet over medium heat until everything is crisply tender, about 5 minutes. Add the cream and season with salt and pepper. Cook down briefly over high heat, about 2 minutes.

Drain the pasta in a colander. Return to its cooking pot, add the sauce, and toss well. Sprinkle with lots of grated cheese. Transfer to a warm serving bowl and serve hot.

PASTA CON QUATTRO FORMAGGI

MAKES 4 TO 6 SERVINGS

The only requirement for the four cheeses in this dish is that one of them be Parmesan. Evan Jones, in his book
World of Cheese,
makes it with Bel Paese, Fontina, Gorgonzola, and Parmesan. It’s not traditional, but I like to use a goat cheese in this dish. It doesn’t quite melt; it softens and becomes thick. But by all means go ahead and experiment: this is an excellent opportunity to use up all the leftover cheese in the refrigerator. [
Editor: Evan Jones was the husband of Beard’s sometime editor, Judith Jones, and ultimately one of Beard’s biographers.
]

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter

1 pound penne or ziti

¼ cup goat cheese, in chunks

½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

½ cup freshly grated pecorino Romano cheese

¼ cup shredded Gruyère cheese

Freshly ground black pepper

Melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan; set aside. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the penne and cook according to the package directions until al dente. Drain and add to the butter in the saucepan. Then mix in the cheeses, one at a time, turning the noodles thoroughly as you go. Serve very hot with lots of freshly ground black pepper.

SWORDFISH-OLIVE PASTA

MAKES 2 TO 4 SERVINGS

I like to use twists, shells, or ridged ziti for this dish: something that will catch all the tangy bits of olive and capers. What you want is the rich, exciting olive taste, so use lots and lots of finely chopped Greek olives.

½ pound pasta (see suggestions above)

One 8-ounce swordfish steak, cut ½ inch thick

¾ cup pitted and finely chopped Greek olives, such as Kalamata

¼ cup olive oil

½ cup thinly sliced onion

3 large garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 tablespoon drained nonpareil capers

Bring a pot of lightly salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook according to the package directions until al dente, timing it so the pasta and sauce are done at the same time.

Meanwhile, preheat the broiler and line the rack of a broiler pan with aluminum foil. Broil the swordfish 3 minutes on one side, turn, top with the olives, and broil 4 minutes longer. Pour the oil into a skillet and cook the onion and garlic over medium heat until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the oregano and capers.

When the swordfish is cooked, take it out of the broiler and cut it into thin strips, along with the olives. Discard the swordfish skin. Drain the pasta and put it into a warm serving bowl. Spoon the swordfish and olives, with the onion-caper mixture, over the freshly cooked pasta and toss gently.

PENNE WITH TOMATO–GROUND MEAT SAUCE

MAKES 6 TO 8 SERVINGS

This is a good scheme to follow whenever you have some leftover meat in the refrigerator. It’s delicious made with chicken, beef, pork, and veal, even brains. The seasoning will depend on whatever your meat was seasoned with when it was first cooked. If you have some meat juices left from underneath a roast or from a sauté pan, by all means add them to the sauce, too. And, if you don’t, and have a delicate meat such as chicken or veal, add ¼ cup cream to the sauce at the end. A wonderful way to use leftovers—let imagination guide you!

1 pound penne or ziti

1 recipe
Light Tomato Sauce

1 cup cooked and ground meat or poultry

Pan juices, if available, or ¼ cup heavy cream (optional)

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, for serving

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the penne and cook according to the package directions until al dente, timing it so the sauce and pasta are done at the same time.

Bring the tomato sauce to a simmer in a medium saucepan. Add the ground cooked meat and the pan juices, if using. Season with salt and pepper, and simmer for 5 minutes.

Drain the pasta. Transfer to a warm serving bowl, add the sauce, and serve with the cheese passed on the side.

VARIATION

PENNE WITH TOMATO-SHRIMP SAUCE:
Substitute ½ pound or more cooked shrimp for the meat, but do not grind the shrimp. Add a touch more black pepper and ½ cup finely chopped red or green bell peppers.

PENNE WITH TOMATO-CLAM SAUCE:
Omit the ground cooked meat. Steam clams as described
here
. Remove them from the shell and add the strained clam broth and shelled clams to the tomato sauce. Combine with pasta.

You may do the same with mussels as with clams.

CHÈVRE–TOMATO SAUCE SPAGHETTI

MAKES 4 TO 6 SERVINGS

This combination of tomato and goat cheese is just delicious. Chèvre softens in an especially creamy way: it seems to relax into the sauce. Make the sauce in a pan that’s large enough so that you can pour the drained spaghetti into it and let it cook for about 2 minutes, long enough to soak up some of the flavor.

1 recipe
Light Tomato Sauce

2 ounces soft chèvre, cut into chunks

Tabasco

1 pound spaghetti

When the sauce is finished, add the chunks of cheese to it and let them soften. Season with Tabasco: it should be quite spicy. Remove from the heat and cover to keep warm.

Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti in a large pot of lightly salted water according to the package directions just until al dente. Drain the spaghetti, then add to the sauce. Simmer over low heat for a couple of minutes to blend the flavors.

VARIATION

BLUE CHEESE–TOMATO SAUCE SPAGHETTI:
Instead of chèvre, use 2 ounces crumbled blue cheese (about ½ cup) and eliminate the Tabasco.

SPAGHETTI WITH CLAM SAUCE

MAKES 4 TO 6 SERVINGS

I discovered this wonderfully light sauce, full of the essence of clams and garlic, during one of those periods when I was seriously trying to cut down on oil and salt. I don’t think you will miss the oil at all.

1 pound spaghetti

2 quarts littleneck clams

Dry white wine

4 to 5 large garlic cloves, minced or crushed

¾ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the spaghetti and cook according to the package directions until al dente, timing it so the sauce and spaghetti are finished at the same time.

Scrub the clams well and wash them in cold water to remove the sand in the shells. Put them in a heavy-bottomed saucepan with ½ inch of white wine or water and the garlic. Cover the kettle tightly, and steam the clams until the shells open, 5 to 10 minutes.

Drain the pasta. Put the freshly cooked spaghetti in a warm bowl, pour the clams, still in their shells, and broth over it, and sprinkle the chopped parsley on the top.

VARIATION

SPAGHETTI WITH MUSSEL SAUCE:
Instead of clams, you can use 2 quarts of mussels. Scrub the mussels well with a kitchen brush or scouring pad, scrape off the encrustations on the shells, and snip off the beards before you steam them. [
Editor: If you use farmed mussels, such as the Prince Edward Island variety, the mussels will be beardless.
]

SPAGHETTI WITH RAISIN AND PINE NUT SAUCE

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

Editor: The intriguing mix of sweet raisins and buttery pine nuts identifies this dish as Sicilian.

1 pound spaghetti

4 garlic cloves, finely chopped

¾ cup olive oil

½ cup pine nuts

½ cup seedless raisins

Freshly ground black pepper

¹
⁄
₃
cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the spaghetti and cook according to the package directions until al dente. Drain the pasta and return to its cooking pot.

Immediately, heat the garlic in the olive oil over low heat until the garlic begins to soften, about 2 minutes. Pour the oil over the pasta. Add the pine nuts and raisins and toss well. Season with the pepper and sprinkle with the chopped parsley.

VARIATIONS

RAISIN AND PINE NUT SAUCE WITH ANCHOVIES:
Add 10 finely chopped anchovy fillets to the pasta and proceed as above.

RAISIN AND PINE NUT SAUCE WITH DRIED FIGS:
Instead of anchovies add coarsely chopped dried figs to the pasta and proceed as above.

SPAGHETTINI WITH SPINACH-ANCHOVY SAUCE

MAKES 4 TO 6 SERVINGS

Editor: This is a very rich dish, and may be best in small portions as a pasta course at an Italian-style meal rather than a main course.

One 28-ounce can whole tomatoes in purée

2 small onions, sliced

1 teaspoon dried basil, oregano, rosemary, sage, marjoram, or thyme

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 cup chopped cooked spinach (see Editor’s Note)

4 anchovy fillets, coarsely chopped

3 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted in a skillet

1 pound spaghettini (thin spaghetti)

Bring the tomatoes, onions, and basil to a simmer in a medium saucepan over medium heat, breaking up the tomatoes with the side of a spoon. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until lightly thickened, about 20 minutes

Melt the butter in a medium skillet over medium heat, add the garlic, and cook until it is golden brown, about 2 minutes. Stir in the spinach and anchovies, cook over medium heat for a few minutes, and then add to the tomato sauce.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the spaghettini and cook according to the package directions until al dente. Drain and return to the cooking pot. Add the sauce, top with the pine nuts, toss well, and serve.