Fusilli Pepe e Zafferano
Black pepper and
saffron pasta sauce
With two spices, a bit of butter and plenty of Parmesan, I created a
last minute pasta sauce, full of colour and flavour.
My inspiration was the spaghetti Cacio e pepe, one of the most
classical dishes from Rome. The flavour simply comes from cheese (cacio) and
black pepper (pepe), but it is the addition of few tablespoons of starchy pasta water
that creates the creaminess of the sauce. As I wanted a full creaminess, I
cooked my pasta in a small amount of water to keep all its starch. I chose fusilli, as they are easy to stir,
but any other short pasta would have worked.
750 ml boiling water
1 tablespoon of coarse
sea salt
350 g short pasta (penne, fusilli)
30
g butter
100 g freshly grated Parmesan
cheese
A
generous grating of good quality black pepper
0.25
g saffron
Serves 4
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes
1.
In a small pan,
bring the water to the boil and add the salt.
2.
In large pan,
heat 20 g of butter and add 3 ladleful of the boiling water. Mix to get an
emulsion.
3.
Add pasta to the
butter and water emulsion and stir with a wooden spoon.
4.
Pour in one
ladleful of boiling water at a time and stir frequently until the water has
been absorbed. In this way, it will take 2 to 3 minutes longer than directed to
get this pasta cooked.
5.
When the pasta is
almost ready – cooked but still very al
dente - add the Parmesan cheese, saffron and half ladleful of water. Toss
to coat.
6.
Remove from heat
and add the remaining butter and the black pepper.
7.
Let it rest for 1
minute.
8.
Serve immediately
with a sprinkle of Parmesan on top.
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