Read The Cook's Illustrated Cookbook Online
Authors: The Editors at America's Test Kitchen
Tags: #Cooking
The Cook's Illustrated Cookbook (78 page)
PASTA GADGETS? SAVE YOUR MONEY.
What’s our opinion on pasta gadgets? For the most part, we’re not fans. Pasta pots with perforated inserts tend to boil over if filled with the necessary amount of water. A pot with a strainer lid might look promising, but we found that if your grip isn’t secure, the lid pops off and pasta can end up all over your sink. Ditto for crescent-shaped strainer plates that fit to the edge of the pot. The only pasta tool we’ve come across through the years that we’ve actually liked is a pasta fork, which is a long-handled spoon with ridged teeth. But no need to rush out and buy one; basic tongs work just fine.
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS
When summer tomatoes are at their peak, a no-cook tomato sauce can taste extraordinary. The problem is that summer tomatoes can contain excess liquid, which can result in a watery, bland pasta sauce. To remedy this problem, we seeded the tomatoes. For rich flavor, we used extra-virgin olive oil, which also worked to coat the pasta and bind it to the sauce. We then added ingredients like garlic, black olives, and Parmesan to bring the acidity and sweetness of the tomatoes into an ideal balance.
SERVES 4
The success of this dish depends on using ripe, flavorful tomatoes. Add the feta after the tomatoes have been tossed with the pasta to prevent the cheese from melting.
1 | pound farfalle |
Salt and pepper | |
1¹⁄ | pounds tomatoes, cored, seeded, and cut into ¹⁄ |
¹⁄ | cup pitted kalamata olives, chopped coarse |
¹⁄ | cup extra-virgin olive oil |
1 | tablespoon minced fresh mint |
6 | ounces feta cheese, crumbled (1¹⁄ |
1.
Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. Add pasta and 1 tablespoon salt and cook, stirring often, until al dente. Drain pasta and return it to pot.
2.
Meanwhile, combine tomatoes, olives, oil, mint, ¹⁄
2
teaspoon salt, and ¹⁄
4
teaspoon pepper. Add tomato mixture to pasta and toss to combine. Add feta and toss again. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve immediately.
SERVES 4
The success of this dish depends on using ripe, flavorful tomatoes. For maximum creaminess, use fresh mozzarella packed in water rather than the shrink-wrapped cheese sold at supermarkets.
1 | pound fusilli |
Salt and pepper | |
1¹⁄ | pounds tomatoes cored, seeded, and cut into ¹⁄ |
¹⁄ | cup extra-virgin olive oil |
3 | scallions, sliced thin |
1 | garlic clove, minced |
8 | ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into ¹⁄ |
1.
Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. Add pasta and 1 tablespoon salt and cook, stirring often, until al dente. Drain pasta and return it to pot.
2.
Meanwhile, combine tomatoes, oil, scallions, garlic, ¹⁄
2
teaspoon salt, and ¹⁄
4
teaspoon pepper. Add tomato mixture and mozzarella to pasta and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve immediately.
SERVES 4
The success of this dish depends on using ripe, flavorful tomatoes.
1 | pound orecchiette |
Salt and pepper | |
1¹⁄ | pounds tomatoes cored, seeded, and cut into ¹⁄ |
1 | small fennel bulb, stalks discarded, halved, cored, and sliced thin |
¹⁄ | cup extra-virgin olive oil |
¹⁄ | cup chopped fresh basil |
2 | ounces Parmesan cheese, shaved thin with vegetable peeler (1 cup) |
1.
Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. Add pasta and 1 tablespoon salt and cook, stirring often, until al dente. Drain pasta and return it to pot.
2.
Meanwhile, combine tomatoes, fennel, oil, basil, ¹⁄
2
teaspoon salt, and ¹⁄
4
teaspoon pepper. Add tomato mixture to pasta and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve immediately, passing Parmesan separately.
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS
To preserve the fresh tomato flavor in our tomato sauces while ensuring their meaty texture, we cooked the tomatoes in extra-virgin olive oil and garlic after peeling and seeding them. Cooking them in a wide pan promoted quick evaporation, and thinning out the sauce with a small amount of pasta water brought it to just the right consistency to cling to the pasta.
SERVES 4
The success of this dish depends on using ripe, flavorful tomatoes. To peel tomatoes, dunk the cored tomatoes in a pot of boiling water until the skins split and begin to curl around the cored area, 15 to 30 seconds; transfer the tomatoes to a bowl of ice water, then peel off the skins with your fingers. This chunky sauce works best with tubular pasta, such as penne. To serve with spaghetti or linguine, puree the sauce in a blender or food processor before adding the basil.
3 | tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil |
2 | garlic cloves, minced |
2 | pounds tomatoes, cored, peeled, seeded, and cut into ¹⁄ |
2 | tablespoons chopped fresh basil |
Salt | |
1 | pound penne, fusilli, or other short, tubular pasta |
1.
Heat 2 tablespoons oil and garlic in 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Cook, stirring often, until garlic turns golden but not brown, about 3 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, increase heat to medium-high, and cook until tomato pieces lose their shape and form chunky sauce, about 10 minutes. Stir in basil and season with salt to taste.
2.
Meanwhile, bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. Add pasta and 1 tablespoon salt and cook, stirring often, until al dente. Reserve ¹⁄
2
cup cooking water, then drain pasta and return it to pot.
3.
Add sauce, remaining 1 tablespoon oil, and ¹⁄
4
cup reserved cooking water to pasta and toss to combine. Add remaining cooking water as needed to adjust consistency. Serve immediately.
Heat ³⁄
4
teaspoon red pepper flakes along with oil and garlic.
Heat 3 rinsed and minced anchovy fillets with oil and garlic. Add ¹⁄
2
cup kalamata olives, pitted and chopped, and 1 tablespoon rinsed capers to sauce with basil.
Pancetta can be substituted for the bacon. Because it is leaner, cook it in 2 tablespoons of olive oil with the onion.
Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in 12-inch skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add 1 finely chopped onion and 4 slices chopped bacon and cook until onion begins to brown and bacon begins to crisp, about 6 minutes. Omit olive oil and garlic in sauce and cook tomatoes in skillet with onion and bacon mixture. Substitute 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley for basil.
This rich sauce is best served with fresh fettuccine or cheese ravioli.
Substitute melted butter for olive oil in sauce and 1 finely chopped onion for garlic; cook onion until softened and lightly browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Add ¹⁄
2
cup heavy cream to tomatoes after chunky sauce has formed, then continue to cook until sauce thickens slightly, 2 to 3 minutes longer. Omit additional oil.
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS
To capitalize on the full, lively flavor of great seasonal tomatoes, we found that any type of tomato tasted fine when skinned, seeded, chopped, and simmered in a skillet with garlic and olive oil—as long as it was ripe. But for suitable additions to finish our fresh tomato sauces, we needed to look beyond the usual suspects like parsley and ricotta and find forceful flavors—potent herbs and spices (piney rosemary), cured meats (smoky bacon), and assertive cheeses (pungent feta), using them judiciously to keep the sauce in balance.
SERVES 4
The success of this dish depends on using ripe, flavorful tomatoes. To peel the tomatoes, dunk the cored tomatoes in a pot of boiling water until the skins split and begin to curl around the cored area, about 15 to 30 seconds; transfer the tomatoes to a bowl of ice water, then peel off the skins with your fingers. Pancetta can be substituted for the bacon. Use the smaller amount of red pepper flakes for a milder sauce.
6 | slices bacon, cut crosswise into ¹⁄ |
2 | tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil |
2 | garlic cloves, minced |
¹⁄ | teaspoon minced fresh rosemary |
¹⁄ | teaspoon red pepper flakes |
3 | pounds tomatoes, cored, peeled, seeded, and cut into ¹⁄ |
1 | pound penne, fusilli, or other short, tubular pasta |
Salt | |
1 | tablespoon chopped fresh parsley |
¹⁄ | teaspoon pepper |
Sugar | |
2 | ounces Parmesan cheese, shaved thin with vegetable peeler (1 cup) |
1.
Cook bacon in 12-inch skillet over medium heat until crisp, 5 to 7 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper towel–lined plate. Pour off all fat from skillet.
2.
Heat oil in now-empty skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add garlic, rosemary, and pepper flakes and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in tomatoes and cook until tomato pieces lose their shape and form chunky sauce, about 10 minutes.
3.
Meanwhile, bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. Add pasta and 1 tablespoon salt and cook, stirring often, until al dente. Reserve ¹⁄
2
cup cooking water, then drain pasta and return it to pot.
4.
Stir parsley, ¹⁄
4
teaspoon salt, and pepper into sauce and season with sugar to taste. Add sauce to pasta and toss to combine. Add reserved cooking water as needed to adjust consistency. Serve, passing crisp bacon and Parmesan separately.
