My way with spaghetti

Pasta's gotten awfully fancy lately: agnolotti (which is, at its heart, glorified ravioli) took us by storm a few years ago, and chefs can charge upwards of $25 for a serving of lobster and truffle mac 'n cheese. Despite all of these boutique offerings, I always come back to the goodness of toothsome, substantial spaghetti. Recently I've had a spaghetti "boom," that is to say, I've eaten it in some form or another for the past three days. The next two recipes are easy and quick but slightly unusual, sure to satisfy any pasta connoisseur in your life...and they're a hell of a lot cheaper than going out. Barilla is my choice for spaghetti and dried pasta of all sorts, but you can use your favorite.

Spaghetti with Beets
I had several beets lying around, as I often do. Beets are the most wonderful. They're sexy and bloody, unapologetically screaming color and staining the kitchen in their not-so-secret quest to take over the winter vegetable world. I'd seen them in ravioli before, but I wanted a take-notice bowl of red that left itself all over my chin as I slurped happily.

2 or more servings

1/4 box dried spaghetti
Tablespoon of olive oil
Big pat of butter
3-4 medium sized beets, grated by hand or in a food processor
Splash of balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup creamy cheese (brie or goat work well)

Bring a large pot of copiously salted water to a boil and add pasta, stirring so pasta doesn't stick. While it's cooking, melt the butter along with the olive oil in a large pan over medium heat, and add beets. Salt to taste. Stir beet mixture constantly, and after about five minutes, add the balsamic. Cook for one minute. Add cheese, stir until well incorporated. At this point, the pasta should be almost al dente. Move pasta into the beet mixture with tongs and turn the heat to high, saving the pasta's cooking liquid. Add one or two ladlefuls of the pasta water and boil until all liquid is absorbed and pasta is al dente (add more if necessary). Taste for seasoning and add more salt if necessary. Dish it up:

It's real pretty. My cheapo camera doesn't at all do it justice.

My favorite spaghetti
A classic combination for good reason. This has been done before, and done well, and this is my version. The sauce is pungent but mellows as soon as the hot pasta hits and begins to cook it on-contact. There will be some liquid at the bottom of your bowl which is lovely sopped up with bread, tossed with a salad or drunk straight from the bowl. I also make a pasta fritatta with leftovers: just add a couple of beaten eggs and cook in a nonstick pan with a splash of olive oil for about five minutes, moving the mass aside every so often to let uncooked egg to the bottom. Throw into in a 350 degree oven until just set. 


1 serving

Small handful of dried spaghetti
1 clove of garlic, minced (or smashed to a paste with salt)
1 or two good glugs of olive oil (1 tbsp, about?)
Splash of balsamic
1 medium-sized ripe tomato, roughly chopped
1/4 cup of mozzarella, roughly chopped
4 or 5 basil leaves, chiffonade

Boil heavily salted water and add spaghetti, stirring well. While it cooks, combine remaining ingredients in bowl, seasoning to taste with salt. When spaghetti's done to your liking, remove with tongs and add directly to tomato mixture. Let the hot spaghetti melt the cheese and wilt the basil slightly, then mix up the whole mess.

 That's a salad alongside, in case you're wondering. I like them almost as much as I like spaghetti.