Quick pastas for those last-minute suppers

The mail carrier brought me a bountiful gift today: the latest copies of Southern Living and Bon Appetit. Couple those with the Food & Wine already on my desk, and it’s a recipe-reading day for me. Once upon a time, I had a large collection of cookbooks, but many drowned when a deluge broke through the flat roof over one part of the house, and most of the rest were surrendered to the great downsizing. So now I don’t cook so much by the book, but by pages I’ve torn out of various magazines. Problem: my collection of recipes is once again headed toward appalling.

But here are two quick and good pasta ideas that you can make at the last minute. We all have those days—it’s five o’clock, the kids are hungry, and you haven’t started dinner yet. Or you don’t get home from work until 5:30 and you didn’t defrost anything before you went to work. These come right out of your pantry.

Bonus: you shouldn’t end up with a kitchen full of dirty dishes with these dinners.

Truffle linguine

            This always makes me think it’s an easier version of cacio e pepe, which is typically hard to master—you have to get the spin of the wrist just right. I find this easier.

1 lb. linguine – (reserve the pasta water)

½ cup good butter, divided use (I use Kerry Gold for everything these days)

2 oz. good, fresh grated parmesan or pecorino (I like the slightly sharper flavor of pecorino)

1 oz. truffle oil—(Oh, go ahead, splurge a little and keep it on hand)

Melt butter in skillet and set aside, dividing into two portions.

Cook linguine; use tongs to transfer it from saucepan to skillet with half the butter in it. Stir to coat. Add 1 cup pasta water, a bit at a time, and stir until water reduces a bit and forms a creamy sauce (you may not want all the water). Add the rest of the butter and stir.

If you want to approximate cacio e pepe, sprinkle generously with fresh ground black pepper.

Remove from heat and divide into four bowls. Sprinkle generously with cheese and drizzle with truffle oil.

Fast tomato sauce with anchovies

2 Tbsp. olive oil

1 tsp. minced garlic

4-6 anchovy filets with a bit of their oil

1 28 oz. can tomatoes, drained of juice and crushed (I prefer San Marzano)

Salt and pepper to taste

Cooked long pasta

Grated pecorino or Romano cheese

            Heat oil to medium in saucepan and add garlic and anchovies, stirring until anchovies break up. Add tomatoes.

            Bring to a boil and cook about 15 minutes. Sauce should thicken as it cooks—serve with linguine and top with pecorino or Romano cheese.

Buon appetito!

Quick spaghetti sauce

There are days when I lose all my principles—and buy ready-prepared food. No, that’s not spaghetti pictured above—it’s the prepared salmon cake I bought. Looked better than it was, and once again I scolded myself because I can make a darn good salmon cake, and I have a can of salmon. Even the buttermilk/lemon sauce I made was a bust.

I had better luck recently with a jar of spaghetti sauce. I found a recipe for “fixing” prepared spaghetti sauce. I doctored the recipe a bit more, and it came out fine—a rich, thick sauce which I appreciate. Great for a quick meal, and gosh knows this time of year we all need an occasional quick meal.

Pasta out of the box—or jar:

A 12 oz. jar spaghetti sauce—I don’t think the label or brand matters much, and you can choose one of the special flavors if you want—I stuck with marinara, and I will say I’m suspicious of meat in prepared sauces so I think you’re better off with vegetarian of some kind

4 garlic cloves

¼ cup good olive oil

½ tsp. anchovy paste or a couple of anchovy filets, drained – no, it won’t taste fishy

Red pepper flakes to taste

1 cup grated Parmesan

4 Tbsp. butter

Black pepper to taste

Pinch of brown sugar

¼ cup chopped parsley

1 tsp. lemon juice

1 tsp. grated lemon zest

Slice garlic and sauté in olive oil until golden. Add the anchovies and stir around in the pan until they become mush. Add red pepper and stir it all around some more.

Stir in pasta sauce, 1-1/4 cups pasta cooking liquid, and 1 cup Parmesan. Cook, stirring constantly, until cheese melts. You could probably substitute a bit of red wine for some of the pasta liquid—maybe ¼ cup?

Use tongs to take pasta out of its cooking water and add to the pot (you may want to stir in more of the water to get the consistency you want). Cook and stir until pasta is coated and l dente—don’t overcook. Add that pinch of brown sugar and stir it in. Remove from heat.

Stir in parsley, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Serve with additional Parmesan.

Looks like a lot of work for a “quick” meal but it really isn’t and, unike old-fashioned, homemade sauce, you don’t have to cook it all day.