The Cook's Illustrated Cookbook (79 page)
Read The Cook's Illustrated Cookbook Online
Authors: The Editors at America's Test Kitchen
Tags: #Cooking
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.
¹⁄ | cup extra-virgin olive oil |
1 | fennel bulb, stalks discarded, halved, cored, and cut into ¹⁄ |
2 | garlic cloves, minced |
2 | (3-inch) strips orange zest plus 3 tablespoons juice |
¹⁄ | teaspoon fennel seeds, crushed |
¹⁄ | teaspoon red pepper flakes |
Pinch saffron, crumbled (optional) | |
3 | pounds tomatoes, cored, peeled, seeded, and cut into ¹⁄ |
1 | pound penne, fusilli, or other short, tubular pasta |
Salt | |
3 | tablespoons chopped fresh basil |
¹⁄ | teaspoon pepper |
Sugar |
1.
Heat 2 tablespoons oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add fennel and cook until softened and lightly browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in garlic, orange zest, fennel seeds, pepper flakes, and saffron, if using, and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in tomatoes and cook until tomato pieces lose their shape and form chunky sauce, about 10 minutes. Discard orange zest.
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.
Stir orange juice, basil, ¹⁄
4
teaspoon salt, and pepper into sauce and season with sugar to taste. Add sauce and remaining 2 tablespoons oil to pasta and toss to combine. Add reserved cooking water as needed to adjust consistency. Serve.
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, 15 to 30 seconds; transfer the tomatoes to a bowl of ice water, then peel off the skins with your fingers. We prefer using spicy (not mild) pepperoncini to balance the richness of the sauce.
3 | tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil |
2 | garlic cloves, minced |
3 | pounds tomatoes, cored, peeled, seeded, and cut into ¹⁄ |
4 | ounces thickly sliced salami, slices cut half, then into ¹⁄ |
1 | pound farfalle |
Salt | |
¹⁄ | cup jarred pepperoncini rings, rinsed |
1 | tablespoon chopped fresh oregano |
¹⁄ | teaspoon pepper |
Sugar | |
12 | ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into ¹⁄ |
1.
Heat 2 tablespoons oil and garlic in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring often, until garlic turns golden but not brown, about 3 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and cook until tomato pieces lose their shape, about 8 minutes. Stir in salami and continue to cook until salami is heated through and tomatoes have formed chunky sauce, about 2 minutes longer.
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.
Stir pepperoncini, oregano, ¹⁄
4
teaspoon salt, and pepper into sauce and season with sugar to taste. Add sauce, mozzarella, and remaining 1 tablespoon oil to pasta and toss to combine. Add reserved cooking water as needed to adjust consistency. Serve.
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, 15 to 30 seconds; transfer the tomatoes to a bowl of ice water, then peel off the skins with your fingers. You can substitute 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano for the mint.
3 | tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil |
2 | garlic cloves, minced |
3 | pounds tomatoes, cored, peeled, seeded, and cut into ¹⁄ |
5 | ounces baby spinach (5 cups) |
1 | pound fusilli |
Salt | |
2 | tablespoons chopped fresh mint |
2 | tablespoons lemon juice |
¹⁄ | teaspoon pepper |
Sugar | |
4 | ounces feta cheese, crumbled (about 1 cup) |
1.
Heat 2 tablespoons oil and garlic in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring often, until garlic turns golden but not brown, about 3 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and cook until tomato pieces begin to lose their shape, about 8 minutes. Stir in spinach, 1 handful at a time, and continue to cook until spinach is wilted and tomatoes have formed chunky sauce, about 2 minutes longer.
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.
Stir mint, lemon juice, ¹⁄
4
teaspoon salt, and pepper into sauce and season with sugar to taste. Add sauce and remaining 1 tablespoon oil to pasta and toss to combine. Add reserved cooking water as needed to adjust consistency. Serve, passing feta separately.
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, 15 to 30 seconds; transfer the tomatoes to a bowl of ice water, then peel off the skins with your fingers. Parmesan or Asiago cheese can be substituted for the Manchego.
3 | tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil |
4 | garlic cloves, sliced thin |
2 | teaspoons paprika |
2 | teaspoons minced fresh thyme or ¹⁄ |
3 | pounds tomatoes, cored, peeled, seeded, and cut into ¹⁄ |
¹⁄ | cup jarred roasted red peppers, rinsed, patted dry, and chopped coarse |
1 | pound orecchiette or campanelle |
Salt | |
¹⁄ | teaspoon pepper |
Sugar | |
2 | ounces Manchego cheese, grated (1 cup) |
1.
Heat 2 tablespoons oil and garlic in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring often, until garlic turns golden but not brown, about 3 minutes. Stir in paprika and thyme and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in red peppers and continue to cook until tomato pieces lose their shape and form chunky sauce, about 5 minutes longer.
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.
Stir ¹⁄
4
teaspoon salt and pepper into sauce and season with sugar to taste. Add sauce and remaining 1 tablespoon oil to pasta and toss to combine. Add reserved cooking water as needed to adjust consistency. Serve, passing Manchego separately.
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS
For a great fresh tomato sauce with out-of-season fresh tomatoes, we turned to roasting, which caramelized natural sugars in the tomatoes, intensified flavor, and added a light touch of smokiness to our sauce. Keeping the seeds in the roasted tomatoes added needed moisture to our sauce, and tossing them with tomato paste gave our sauce a deep red color and another layer of tomato flavor.
MAKES ENOUGH FOR 1 POUND OF PASTA
This sauce is best served with short pasta shapes, such as ziti, penne, or fusilli. It can also be served over chicken Parmesan or grilled fish.
2 | tablespoons tomato paste |
2 | tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil |
2 | teaspoons minced fresh thyme |
Salt and pepper | |
¹⁄ | teaspoon red pepper flakes |
3 | pounds tomatoes, cored and halved |
1 | small onion, sliced into ¹⁄ |
6 | garlic cloves, peeled |
1 | teaspoon red wine vinegar |
Sugar | |
2 | tablespoons chopped fresh basil |
1.
Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 475 degrees. Combine tomato paste, 1 tablespoon oil, thyme, ³⁄
4
teaspoon salt, ¹⁄
4
teaspoon pepper, and pepper flakes in large bowl. Add tomatoes, onion, and garlic and toss until evenly coated. Place 4-inch square of aluminum foil in center of wire rack set in foil-lined rimmed baking sheet. Place garlic cloves and onion rounds on foil and arrange tomatoes, cut side down, around garlic and onion. Roast until vegetables are soft and tomato skins are well charred, 45 to 55 minutes.
2.
Remove baking sheet from oven and cool for 5 minutes. Transfer garlic and onion to food processor and pulse until finely chopped, about 5 pulses. Add tomatoes, vinegar, and remaining 1 tablespoon oil to food processor and pulse until tomatoes are broken down but still chunky, about 5 pulses, scraping down bowl as needed. Season mixture with salt, pepper, and sugar to taste and pulse until sauce is slightly chunky, about 5 pulses. Transfer mixture to bowl and stir in basil.
Add ¹⁄
2
teaspoon fennel seeds to tomato paste mixture. Replace onion with 1 small fennel bulb, sliced ¹⁄
2
inch thick.
Substitute 1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary for thyme. Omit basil. After tossing sauce with pasta, sprinkle with 2 ounces crumbled fresh goat cheese.
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS
Dried porcini mushrooms boast concentrated mushroom flavor and can make a robust pasta sauce. To start, because dried mushrooms often contain grit, we rinsed the mushrooms before soaking. We soaked the porcini in water in the microwave to soften them and then we drained the porcini and reserved the flavorful soaking liquid to add to the sauce later. Onion, butter, and cream were all that was required to enrich the porcini’s flavor in one creamy sauce and for another sauce, we used white mushrooms, fragrant rosemary, and garlic to complement the porcini.