by Samin Nosrat
Boil
Cook pasta, farro, spelt, wheat or rye berries, barley, amaranth, or wild rice in ample salted water until tender. This method also works well for quinoa, brown, or basmati rice.
Persian-ish Rice
Serves 4 to 6
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Every Persian has a special relationship with rice, and particularly with tahdig, the crispy crust by which every Iranian maman’s culinary prowess is measured. Judged on its even browning, perfect crispness, and whether it emerges from the pot in a beautiful cake, as well as its taste, a good tahdig is something to be proud of. Since traditional Persian rice can take years to perfect and hours to make, I’m including this Persian-ish variation, which I accidentally devised one night when I found myself with a few extra cups of just-boiled basmati rice on my hands.
2 cups basmati rice
Salt
3 tablespoons plain yogurt
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons neutral-tasting oil
Fill a large stockpot with 4 quarts of water and bring it to a boil over high heat.
In the meantime, place the rice in a bowl and rinse with cold water, swirling vigorously with your fingers and changing the water at least five times, until the starch has run off and the water runs clear. Drain the rice.
Once the water comes to a boil, salt it heavily. The precise amount will vary depending on what kind of salt you’re using, but it’s about 6 tablespoons fine sea salt or a generous 1/2 cup kosher salt. The water should taste saltier than the saltiest seawater you’ve ever tasted. This is your big chance to get the rice seasoned from within, and it’s only going to spend a few minutes in the salted water, so don’t panic about oversalting your food. Add the rice, and stir.
Set a fine-mesh sieve or colander in the sink. Cook rice, stirring from time to time, until it’s al dente, about 6 to 8 minutes. Drain into the sieve and immediately begin rinsing with cold water to stop the rice from cooking further. Drain.
Remove 1 cup of the rice and combine it with the yogurt.
Set a large, very well seasoned 10-inch cast iron skillet or nonstick frying pan over medium heat, then add the oil and butter. When the butter melts, add the yogurt-rice mixture into the pan and level it out. Pile the remaining rice into the pan, mounding it gently toward the center. Using the handle of a wooden spoon, gently dig five or six holes into the rice down to the bottom of the pot, which will be gently sizzling. The holes will allow steam to escape from the bottommost layer of rice so that a crisp crust can form. There should be enough oil in the pan so that you can see it bubbling up the sides. Add a little more oil if needed to see these bubbles.
Continue cooking the rice over medium heat, turning the pan a quarter turn every 3 or 4 minutes to ensure even browning, until you start to see a golden crust begin to form at the sides of the pan, about 15 to 20 minutes. Once you see the crust turn from pale amber to gold, reduce the heat to low and continue cooking for another 15 to 20 minutes. The edges of the crust should be golden, and the rice should be cooked completely through. There isn’t a way to tell what tahdig will look like until you flip it, so I prefer to err on the side of overbrowning, but if that makes you uncomfortable, pull the rice after about 35 total minutes in the pan.
To unmold the rice, carefully run a spatula along the edges of the pan to ensure that no part of the crust is sticking. Tip out any excess fat at the bottom of the pan into a bowl, gather your courage, and then carefully flip it onto a platter or cutting board. It should look like a beautiful cake of fluffy rice with a golden crust.
And if for any reason your rice doesn’t slip out in one piece, do what every Persian grandmother since the beginning of time has done: scoop out the rice, chip out the tahdig in pieces with a spoon or metal spatula, and pretend you meant to do it this way. No one will be the wiser.
Serve immediately with Slow-Roasted Salmon, Kufte Kebabs, Persian Roast Chicken (page 341), or Kuku Sabzi.
Variations
• To make a Bread Tahdig, cut a 10-inch circle out of a piece of lavash bread, or use a 10-inch flour tortilla. Mix the yogurt into the entire amount of parcooked rice. Preheat the pan as directed above, add the butter and oil, and then lay the bread circle or tortilla into the pan. Spoon the rice in and continue as above. A Bread Tahdig will brown more quickly than one made with only rice, so keep a vigilant eye on the pan and turn the heat down to low after about 12 minutes, rather than 15 to 20.
• To make Saffron Rice, make saffron tea by grinding a generous pinch of saffron to a powder with a pinch of salt in a mortar and pestle. Add 2 tablespoons of boiling water and allow it to steep for 5 minutes. Drizzle over drained, parcooked rice and continue adding the rice to the frying pan as directed above. Serve with Kufte Kebabs.
• To make Herbed Rice, stir 6 tablespoons of finely chopped parsley, cilantro, and dill in any combination into cooked, drained rice. Cook as directed above. Serve with Slow-Roasted Salmon and Herbed Yogurt.
• To make Fava Bean and Dill Rice, stir 1/3 cup finely chopped dill and 3/4 cup fresh or thawed frozen, peeled fava or lima beans into drained, cooked rice. Cook as directed above. Serve with Persian Roast Chicken.
Five Classic Pastas
My appreciation for pasta is profound. After all, I made and ate it nearly every day for over ten years, two of which were spent in Italy. When the time came for me to decide which handful of pasta recipes to include here, I nearly had a breakdown. How would I ever be able to reduce everything I have to say about pasta into just a few basic recipes?
I realized that before I could narrow anything down, I needed to see all the possibilities, so I made a list of all my favorite pasta and sauce combinations. As the list grew absurdly long, a pattern emerged. Every single sauce on my list fell into one of five families: cheese, tomato, vegetable, meat, and (shell)fish.
Master one sauce from each family, and the path to countless variations will become clear. Eventually, you’ll be able to improvise as you wish. Just remember, every ingredient should have a role in the dish—kitchen sink pastas are generally disastrous. As a general rule, if you’re improvising with what you’ve got on hand, stick to a six-ingredient limit, beyond the pasta, olive oil, and salt. And remember to get the Salt, Fat, and Acid just right before serving.
Two last things: with the exception of Pesto—traditionally made of crushed garlic, pine nuts, Parmesan, and basil, salt, and olive oil—which will take any excuse to turn brown, hot, just cooked pasta should always be tossed with hot sauce. And, pasta is about the pasta just as much as it is about the sauce, so take care to cook the noodles properly and salt the water just right. The water should be as salty as the summer sea, which works out to about 2 scant tablespoons of kosher salt or 4 teaspoons of fine sea salt per quart.
Cheese: Pasta Cacio e Pepe
Serves 4 to 6
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Cacio e pepe is the Roman (and, dare I say, better) answer to macaroni and cheese. It’s traditionally made with pecorino Romano, a salty sheep’s milk cheese, and abundant ground black pepper. Take a few measures to prevent the sauce from clumping: first, use the finest grater you have to grate the cheese so it can melt readily. Next, encourage an emulsion in the pan by swirling together the pepper, oil, and starchy pasta water until it comes together. And finally, if your pan isn’t roomy enough to toss the pasta, place everything in a big bowl and toss with tongs, adding a little pasta cooking water at a time, until the sauce comes together.
Salt
1 pound spaghetti, bucatini, or tonnarelli pasta
Extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon very coarsely ground black pepper
4 ounces pecorino Romano, very finely grated (about 2 cups)
Set a large pot of water over high heat and bring to a boil. Season generously with salt until it tastes like the summer sea. Add the pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente. Reserve 2 cups of the cooking water as you drain the pasta.
In the meantime, heat a large pan o
ver medium heat and add enough olive oil to just coat the bottom. When it shimmers, add the pepper and cook until fragrant, about 20 seconds. Add 3/4 cup of the pasta cooking water into the pan and let it boil—this will encourage an emulsion to form.
Add the drained pasta to the hot pan, toss to coat the noodles, then sprinkle in all but a handful of the cheese. Use tongs to vigorously toss the pasta, adding more pasta water as needed to create a creamy sauce that clings to the pasta without clumping. Taste and adjust salt as needed. Garnish with remaining cheese and more coarsely ground pepper and serve immediately.
Variations
• For Pasta Alfredo, simmer 4 cups heavy cream until reduced to 2 cups, about 30 minutes. Set a large skillet over medium heat and add 3 tablespoons of butter. Once the butter has melted, add 3 minced garlic cloves. Cook gently until the garlic starts to give off an aroma, about 20 seconds. Before the garlic begins to take on any color, add the reduced cream and bring to a simmer. Cook 1 pound fettuccine until al dente and drain, reserving 1 cup pasta water. Add hot noodles into pan and toss with 4 ounces finely grated Parmesan, and abundant freshly ground black pepper. Add more pasta water as needed to achieve creamy consistency. Taste and adjust for salt. Serve immediately.
• To make Creamy Asparagus and Mint Pasta, set a large skillet over medium heat and add enough olive oil to coat the pan. When the oil shimmers, add 1 finely diced yellow onion (or two spring onions) and a generous pinch of salt. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 12 minutes. Add 3 minced garlic cloves. Cook gently until the garlic starts to give off an aroma, about 20 seconds. Before the garlic begins to take on any color, add 2 cups heavy cream and simmer until reduced by half, about 25 minutes.
In the meantime, snap the woody ends off 1 1/2 pounds of asparagus and discard. Cut the asparagus into 1/4-inch slices on the bias and set aside. When the cream is almost done reducing, cook 1 pound of fettuccine or penne pasta until nearly al dente. A minute before the pasta is done cooking, add the sliced asparagus into the pasta water and cook. When pasta is al dente and asparagus is barely cooked, drain, reserving 1 cup of the pasta cooking water. Add the noodles and asparagus into pan and toss with cream, 3 ounces (about 1 cup) finely grated Parmesan, 1/4 cup chopped mint leaves, and freshly ground black pepper. Add a little pasta cooking water if needed to loosen the sauce and achieve a creamy consistency. Taste and adjust for salt. Serve immediately.
Tomato: Pasta alla Pomarola
Makes about 8 cups sauce; pasta recipe serves 4
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Ever since that sauce-making competition at Chez Panisse, I’ve learned dozens and dozens of different methods for making basic tomato sauce, but the truth of the matter is that all of the variations—using onion or not, adding basil or oregano, puréeing or milling—offer little more than personal flourish. You can do it however you like; most important is to use the best-tasting tomatoes and olive oil you can find, and to get the salt right. Do that, and you’ve got yourself a wonderful blank slate, ready to use in pasta and pizza, of course, but also in dishes as diverse as shakshuka, braised Moroccan lamb, Mexican rice, or Provençal fish stew.
Extra-virgin olive oil
2 medium red or yellow onions, sliced thinly
Salt
4 garlic cloves
4 pounds fresh, ripe tomatoes, stemmed, or two (28-ounce) cans whole San Marzano or Roma tomatoes in their juice
16 fresh basil leaves or 1 tablespoon dried oregano
3/4 pound spaghetti, bucatini, penne, or rigatoni
Parmesan, pecorino Romano, or ricotta salata for serving
Set a large, heavy-bottomed, nonreactive pot over medium-high heat. When the pot is hot, add just enough olive oil to coat the bottom. When the oil shimmers, add the onions.
Season with salt and reduce the heat to medium, stirring from time to time to prevent burning. Cook until the onions are soft and translucent, or blond, about 15 minutes. A little browning is fine, but don’t let the onions burn. If the onions begin to brown too quickly, turn down the heat and add a splash of water.
While the onions cook, slice the garlic, then quarter the tomatoes, if using fresh. If using canned, pour them into a large, deep bowl and crush with your hands. Swirl about 1/4 cup of water in one can, then pour it into the second can and swirl, then add into the tomatoes. Set aside.
Once the onions are soft, push them to the outer edges of the pot and add a spoonful of oil into the center. Add the garlic to the oil. Gently sizzle the garlic until it starts to give off an aroma, about 20 seconds, and before it begins to brown, add the tomatoes. If using fresh tomatoes, use a wooden spoon to smash them a bit and encourage the juice to come out. Bring the sauce to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Season with salt and tear in basil leaves or add oregano, if using.
Cook over low heat, stirring the sauce often with a wooden spoon. Scrape the bottom of the pot to ensure that nothing sticks. If the sauce does start to stick and scorch, then do just the opposite. Don’t stir! That’ll just mix the burnt taste into the rest of the unaffected sauce. Instead, immediately transfer the sauce to a new pot without scraping the bottom, and leave the scorched pot to soak in the sink. Take extra care to prevent the new pot from burning again.
Put a large pot of water on to boil over high heat. Cover with a lid to prevent too much evaporation.
The sauce will be done when its flavor shifts from raw to cooked, about 25 minutes. Dipping your spoon into the sauce, you’ll be reminded less of the garden or the farmer’s market and more of a comforting bowl of pasta. If you’re using canned tomatoes, the shift is subtler: wait for the moment when the tomatoes lose their tinny taste from the can, which can take closer to 40 minutes. When the tomatoes are cooked, bring the sauce to a rapid simmer and stir in 3/4 cup of olive oil. Let it simmer together for a couple of minutes; the pomarola will transform into a rich sauce as it emulsifies. Remove it from the heat.
Purée the sauce with a stick blender, blender, or food mill, then taste and adjust seasoning. Keep covered in the refrigerator for up to a week, or freeze for up to 3 months. For shelf-stable pomarola, process jars filled with sauce in a water bath for 20 minutes, and use within a year.
To serve 4 people, season the pot of water with salt until it tastes like the summer sea. Add the pasta, give it a stir, and cook until it’s just al dente. While the pasta cooks, bring 2 cups of pomarola sauce to a simmer in a large sauté pan. Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of pasta water. Add the pasta to the sauce and toss, thinning as needed with pasta water and olive oil. Taste and adjust salt as needed. Serve immediately, with Parmesan, pecorino Romano, or ricotta salata cheese.
Variations
• To add some creaminess to the pasta, add 1/2 cup crème fraîche (page 113) to 2 cups pomarola sauce and bring to a simmer just before adding cooked pasta, or add 1/2 cup of fresh ricotta cheese in large dollops into the pasta after tossing with tomato sauce.
• To make Pasta alla Puttanesca, set a large skillet over medium heat and add enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan. When the oil shimmers, add 2 cloves minced garlic and 10 minced anchovy filets and cook gently until the garlic starts to give off an aroma, about 20 seconds. Before the garlic begins to take on any color, add 2 cups pomarola sauce, 1/2 cup rinsed and pitted and black olives (preferably oil-cured), and 1 tablespoon rinsed salt-packed capers. Season to taste with red pepper flakes and salt and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. In the meantime, cook 3/4 pound of spaghetti until al dente and drain, reserving 1 cup of the pasta cooking water. Toss the pasta with the simmering sauce and thin as needed with pasta water. Taste and adjust salt as needed. Garnish with chopped parsley and serve immediately.
• To make Pasta all’Amatriciana, set a large skillet over medium heat and add enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan. When the oil shimmers, add 1 finely diced yellow onion and a generous pinch of salt. Stirring occasionally, cook until the onion is soft and brown, about 15 minutes. Slice 6
ounces guanciale (cured pork jowl), pancetta, or bacon into matchsticks and add to the onion. Cook over medium heat until the meat is barely crisp, then add 2 cloves minced garlic and cook gently until the garlic starts to give off an aroma, about 20 seconds. Before the garlic begins to take on any color, add 2 cups pomarola sauce and season to taste with salt and crushed red pepper flakes. Simmer for about 10 minutes. In the meantime, cook 3/4 pound of spaghetti or bucatini until al dente and drain, reserving 1 cup of the pasta cooking water. Toss the pasta with the simmering sauce and thin as needed with pasta water. Taste and adjust salt as needed. Garnish with abundant grated pecorino Romano or Parmesan and serve immediately.
Vegetable: Pasta with Broccoli and Bread Crumbs
Serves 4 to 6
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This is the dish I cook when I’ve got no juice left at the end of the day. I pretend to choose to eat a bowl of noodles dressed with broccoli sauce because it’s virtuous. In reality, I choose it out of pleasure; the depth of the browned onions, the umami lent by the extravagant dose of Parmesan, and the sweetness of the softened broccoli add up to an unexpected dose of luxury. While Tuscan peasants historically used bread crumbs as an economical alternative to cheese for garnishing pasta, I support the use of both, for crunch and flavor. And don’t discard the broccoli stems! They’re often the sweetest parts of the plant. Just remove their tough skins with a vegetable peeler, slice them, and cook them alongside the florets.