By Mia Leimkuhler, The New York Times
I’m sure I don’t need to tell you this, but Valentine’s Day is Friday. Friday is also Friday, the day of the week that most embodies “expectations versus reality.” I look to Fridays with grand ambitions for a round of cocktails and a little plate of snacks for me and my husband to enjoy, while we put together a glorious roast chicken dinner with a colorful salad of bitter lettuces and my favorite miche from the bakery down the street, the dog calmly watching us from a blanket on the sofa.
Then Friday hits, and both of us are tired and too hungry to wait for a whole chicken to cook. The radicchio’s gone south. We forgot to swing by the bakery. The dog is shouting out the window at someone trying to parallel park their car.
So, with all that in mind, I’m sharing five pasta recipes for Valentine’s Day. They’re easy and quick enough for a running-on-fumes Friday, but they still feel like a treat, worthy of poured wine and lit candles. And pasta has the benefit of not needing a knife, so you can eat these dinners from big bowls on the couch in the glow of a warm television. A perfect Friday night.
1. Shrimp Scampi With Orzo
The universal appeal of shrimp scampi, frankly, isn’t the shrimp but the pan sauce: garlicky butter lightened with white wine and bursts of lemon, parsley and red-pepper flakes. Scampi is often tossed with pasta or served with crusty bread, but this version instead uses quick-cooking orzo. It simmers directly in the pan sauce, imparting a starchy gloss — and soaking up the garlicky scampi flavors. Toss the shrimp with some garlic, lemon zest and red-pepper flakes to marinate while the pasta gets a head start on the stove, then simply toss the shrimp on top of the orzo to steam. It all comes together in a flash and feels effortless. Pair this dish with Caesar salad, steamed broccoli or arugula, or bask in its simple comfort, straight from a spoon.
By Ali Slagle
Yield: 4 servings
Total time: 25 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest, plus 1 tablespoon juice (from 1 lemon)
- 1/2 teaspoon red-pepper flakes
- Kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal) and black pepper
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 cup orzo
- 1/3 cup dry white wine
- 2 cups boiling water, seafood stock or chicken stock
- 3 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
Preparation
1. In a medium bowl, stir together shrimp, 1 tablespoon olive oil, lemon zest, red-pepper flakes, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper and half of the garlic. Set aside to marinate. (This step can be done up to 1 hour in advance.)
2. Add butter, remaining olive oil and remaining garlic to a medium skillet set over medium heat. When the butter starts to bubble, add the orzo and 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring often, until the orzo is toasted, about 2 minutes, adjusting the heat as necessary to prevent the garlic from burning. Carefully add the wine — it will bubble — and stir until absorbed, about 1 minute. Stir in water, reduce heat to low, cover, and cook until orzo is al dente, about 12 minutes.
3. Add the shrimp in a snug, even layer on top of the orzo, cover, and cook until all the shrimp is pink and cooked through, 2 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat and let sit, covered, 2 minutes.
4. Sprinkle with parsley and lemon juice, season with salt and pepper, and serve immediately.
2. Tobiko Pasta
When you’re craving the dynamic flavors of sushi and the warmth of creamy pasta, this speedy meal hits the spot. It stars tobiko, the delightfully briny and slightly sweet flying fish roe that often coats the outside of a California roll. Other roes such as ikura (from salmon or trout) and masago (from capelin) work well, too. They all lend rich seafood flavor with zero effort, not to mention fun pops of texture. The only thing you have to cook is the spaghetti, which gets tossed with cream cheese, Cheddar and pasta water to become a lovely sauce. Creamy but light, the sauce gains dimension from the tried-and-true combination of soy sauce and the horseradish bite of wasabi paste, which mellows out once combined with the hot pasta. Enjoy with your favorite sparkling wine or sake.
By Eric Kim
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
Total time: 20 minutes
Ingredients
- Salt
- 1 pound spaghetti or linguine
- 4 ounces cream cheese, cut into small pieces
- 1 (2-ounce) chunk extra-sharp white Cheddar or Parmesan, finely grated through a microplane or the smallest holes on a box grater
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon wasabi paste
- 1 heaping tablespoon tobiko, masago or ikura, plus more for serving (see Tip)
- Nori, cut into thin matchsticks with scissors, and thinly sliced scallions, for serving
Preparation
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to package instructions. Reserve 2 cups of the cooking water. Drain the pasta and return to its pot.
2. Add the cream cheese, white Cheddar, soy sauce, wasabi, tobiko and 3/4 cup of the reserved cooking water. Toss until combined and the cheeses are melted, adding splashes of the pasta cooking water, as needed, to thin out the sauce, 2 to 3 minutes. Taste and season with salt.
3. To serve, plate the pasta, then top each serving with a little nori, scallion and more tobiko.
Tip
Fish roes such as tobiko (from flying fish), masago (from capelin, a type of smelt fish) and ikura (from salmon) are much more affordable than caviar and easy to find in the refrigerated section of many grocery stores and Asian markets. They add delicate pops of seaside salinity to dishes.
3. Spicy Red Pesto Pasta
Today, pesto describes many sauces that don’t necessarily adhere to the traditional formula of cheese, basil, nuts and olive oil. This red version, which is inspired by pesto alla Siciliana, the scarlet cousin of green pesto Genovese, leans on sun-dried tomatoes, nuts and tangy roasted red peppers and uses basil as a garnish only. Although pesto is traditionally pounded by hand, a food processor simplifies the effort. This pasta sauce is versatile: Crown it with lemon zest for brightness, or stir in heavy cream for extra richness. Should you find yourself with extra pesto, drizzle it over steak, slather it on sandwiches or serve it alongside a cheese board or crudités.
By Alexa Weibel
Yield: 4 servings
Total time: 30 minutes
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup drained jarred, oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes (about 3 1/2 ounces), roughly chopped
- 1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts (a scant 2 1/2 ounces)
- 3 tablespoons double-concentrated tomato paste (or 1/3 cup tomato paste)
- 3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
- 1 teaspoon red-pepper flakes
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- 1/2 cup drained chopped, jarred roasted red peppers (about 4 ounces)
- 1 1/2 ounces finely grated Parmesan (about 1 packed cup), plus more for serving
- 1 pound rigatoni, orecchiette or other shaped pasta
- Sliced fresh basil leaves, for serving
- Fresh lemon zest, for serving (optional)
Preparation
1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Prepare the pesto: In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium-high. Add the sun-dried tomatoes, walnuts, tomato paste, garlic and red-pepper flakes. Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and cook, stirring, until mixture is toasted and fragrant, about 5 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a bowl to let cool for a few minutes.
2. Add the roasted red peppers and Parmesan to a food processor. Top with the cooled tomato mixture and the remaining 2/3 cup olive oil, and pulse the mixture until you form a paste. (It makes 2 cups.)
3. Season the boiling water generously with salt, then add the pasta and cook until al dente. Reserve 1 1/2 cups pasta water, then drain the pasta.
4. Return the pasta to the pot, along with about 1 1/2 cups of the red pesto and 1 cup of the pasta water, and stir vigorously until the sauce is glossy and the pasta is evenly coated. Stir in additional pesto or pasta water to taste. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
5. Divide among bowls, sprinkle with Parmesan and top with torn basil. Shave some fresh lemon zest on top, if using. Serve immediately.
4. Rice Noodles With Spicy Pork and Herbs
This cold rice-noodle dish, dressed in vinegar and chile oil and topped with spicy pork, herbs and peanuts, has roots in Yunnan, a southwestern Chinese province, where the garnish may vary according to the kitchen and season. The dish is quick to put together but can be served at a leisurely pace: Plate it, or set all of the components on the table and let people put together their own bowls the way they like, to their taste. Chef Simone Tong, who runs a Yunnan-inspired noodle restaurant in New York City, makes her version with ground pork, peanuts and a mix of fresh herbs but adds raw breakfast radishes and lacto-fermented pickles as well, for extra crunch and flavor. Feel free to do the same, or not; it’s in the spirit of the dish to improvise with what’s in season and what’s on hand.
Recipe from Simone Tong
Adapted by Tejal Rao
Yield: Serves 4
Total time: 20 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 pound thin, round rice noodles
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon black vinegar
- 1 tablespoon chile oil (like Lao Gan Ma brand)
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon canola or other neutral oil
- 1/2 pound ground pork
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 garlic cloves, sliced
- 1 1-inch piece ginger, chopped
- 2 scallions, light parts chopped, green parts reserved for garnish
- 1 tablespoon yacai (Sichuan preserved vegetables, optional)
- Handful of herbs like mint, basil and cilantro leaves, washed
- 1/4 cup salted, roasted peanuts, chopped
- 4 breakfast radishes, sliced (optional)
Preparation
1. Bring a large pot of water to boil, and cook noodles according to instructions. Drain noodles while running under cold water, until they are cool to the touch. Set aside. Mix dressing by whisking rice vinegar, soy sauce, black vinegar, chile oil and sugar until sugar dissolves. Set aside.
2. Cook the pork topping: Heat oil in saucepan over medium heat, and add ground pork and salt. Pan-fry, breaking meat into small pieces with a wooden spoon, until no pink parts and no liquid remain in the pan, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, ginger and scallion whites, and stir occasionally until the raw smell has disappeared and the meat is starting to brown in places, about 5 minutes. Add the vegetables, if using, along with a tablespoon of water, and cook for 2 or 3 minutes more, or until mixture is darkened and thick. Set aside.
3. When you’re ready to serve, divide cool, drained noodles into four individual bowls, and top each with a tablespoon of vinegar dressing followed by a pile of ground pork, herbs, peanuts and radishes, to taste. Serve with any remaining garnish, and additional chile oil and chile-oil solids, on the side.
5. Pasta With Brown Butter and Parmesan
Sometimes you just want a big bowl of pasta with butter and Parmesan. Starchy, silky and salty, it’s always good — and practically foolproof. To make it a little more grown up, just take it one step further: Brown the butter. When you slide the butter into the skillet, let it cook until the milk solids turn a toasty brown. It adds a rich, nutty flavor that makes the dish a bit more sophisticated with very little extra work.
By Ali Slagle
Yield: 4 servings
Total time: 25 minutes
Ingredients
- Kosher salt
- 1 pound spaghetti, linguine or other long noodle
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan, plus more for serving
- Freshly ground black pepper
Preparation
1. Bring a large pot of heavily salted water (2 heaping tablespoons kosher salt to about 7 quarts water) to a boil. Add pasta to boiling water and cook according to package directions until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water, then drain the pasta, but don’t shake it fully dry.
2. In a skillet or Dutch oven large enough to hold the pasta (and preferably with a light-colored bottom so you can see the butter solids brown), melt the butter over medium heat. Cook, swirling occasionally, until the foam subsides, the milk solids turn golden-brown and it smells nutty and toasty, 3 to 4 minutes. (Watch carefully to see that it does not burn. If it does, start over.) Remove from heat immediately.
3. Add the cooked pasta to the skillet and toss with the brown butter. Stir in the cheese until melted. Stir in pasta water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the pasta is glossy with sauce (you probably won’t need the full 1/2 cup).
4. Serve with black pepper and more Parmesan on top.
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.