In households without a live-in cook or help, you never have to be at the mercy of food delivery guys whenever you feel hangry. We’re a fan of the convenience of tapping on our phone to order food, but not of the long wait, especially during peak hours. It’s often quicker to just rummage through your pantry and fire up the stove than wait for food to get to your door. Remember: hangry.
It doesn’t take “Top Chef”-level skills to fix, say, a bowl of pasta. If you can boil water, you’re halfway there.
Pasta is our go-to, quick-fix meal when hunger pangs hit, so we’re never out of spaghetti/angel hair/spaghettini (we like Barilla and De Cecco), extra-virgin olive oil and unsalted butter (the best you can find), and a wedge of Parmigiano Reggiano (never pregrated!).
Because you’re cooking with very few ingredients, it’s imperative to use only the best you can buy.
To these staples, we just add whatever feels yum at the moment, or whatever else is in the fridge or pantry that doesn’t need thawing or much prepping—maybe bottled anchovies, sundried tomatoes, pepper flakes, capers, lemon zest, bacon, heavy cream, truffle oil.
In 30 minutes or less, you will be happily rubbing your belly.
As in any skill, practice makes perfect. Pretty soon you’ll be experimenting and giving these simple, basic recipes your own twist.
Brown Butter Pasta
(Serves 1)100 g spaghetti
2 tbsp unsalted butter
Salt and pepper, to taste
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1. Cook pasta in salted water according to package directions. Save ½ cup of the pasta water and drain. Set aside.
2. Melt butter on a skillet over medium heat, until the milk solids turn golden brown, about three minutes.
3. Add pasta and pasta water to the skillet, and toss until creamy and glossy, about a minute. Season with salt and pepper. Be careful not to oversalt—the pasta water is salty. Remove from heat. Serve with Parmesan cheese.
Garlicky Anchovy Pasta
(Serves 1)100 g spaghettini or angel hair pasta
3 tbsp olive oil
3-4 cloves of garlic, sliced thinly
3 pcs anchovies
1 tbsp capers (optional)
Salt and pepper, to taste
Red pepper flakes
Parsley, chopped (optional)Lemon zest (optional)
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese or Pecorino Romano
1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Save ½ cup of the pasta water and drain. Set aside.
2. Saute garlic in olive oil over medium heat, about 1 minute. Add anchovies and fry for another minute. Add capers (if using). Add pasta with some pasta water and cook until water is completely evaporated. Add lemon zest (if using). Season with salt and pepper, and red pepper flakes.
3. Serve with grated Parmesan cheese. The anchovies in this recipe can be substituted with 2 tbsp of flaked bottled Spanish sardines or 1 tbsp of flaked salted fish (Connie’s Kitchen Gourmet Daing).
Easy Truffle Cream Pasta
(Serves 1)
100 g spaghettini
2 tbsp unsalted butter
¼ c heavy cream
½ tbsp truffle oil
¼ tsp Better Than Bouillon Roasted Chicken
Salt
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Parsley, chopped (optional)
1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Set aside.
2. Melt butter over medium-low heat. Add the heavy cream.
3. Add truffle oil and bouillon paste just as the cream is about to bubble. Season with salt. 4. Add the cooked pasta and Parmesan cheese and toss until coated.
5. Serve with parsley and more Parmesan cheese if desired.
BLT Pasta
(Adapted from a New York Times Cooking recipe; serves 1)
100 g penne
2 strips of bacon, diced
½ c cherry tomatoes, halved (or 2 tbsp chopped sundried tomatoes)
30 g arugula, baby arugula or spinach
Salt and pepper, to taste
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Save ½ c of pasta water. Set aside.
2. Place bacon in a skillet and cook until crisp over medium-low heat. Remove from pan and set aside.
3. Turn up heat to medium and toss the tomatoes in the rendered bacon oil. Cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Add some pasta water to scrape off the browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Return half of the bacon into the pan.
5. Add the penne into the skillet and toss. Add more pasta water as needed. Add the arugula and toss until wilted.
6. Add Parmesan cheese and toss. Top with remaining bacon and serve.