Molly Baz' Orzo Al Limone

This is a really great, super easy, poor man’s risotto from Molly Baz’ book that was excerpted on Cup of Jo. I totally get how cookbooks are supposed to give you new ideas and be aspirational and all that, but I also think that cookbooks are just not written for the person who’s doing 137 other things in a day and also making dinner. I.e., what’s the fastest, easiest, most efficient way to make this recipe? With the least dirty dishes and how can I maximize my time here? Maybe everyone doesn’t cook this way? Maybe other people like making a great big mess and taking the time to cook? Well. In an ideal world, yes, I’d like to take more time. But until I have a kitchen assistant or a fully staffed test kitchen, least messy, most efficient way to make something is always, always what I care about. So, without further ado, here is my tweaked-for-efficiency version of this recipe.

From Molly: Spaghetti al limone — a classic and supremely simple Italian pasta dish composed of lemon juice, butter, and Parmesan — gets a fresh take, featuring orzo instead of the spaghetti, which results in a dish that’s somewhere between risotto and macaroni and cheese, and I think it’s pretty special. The name of the game here is to avoid overcooking the orzo; leave it slightly al dente so that it doesn’t turn into a big pot of mush.

INGREDIENTS:
1 medium yellow onion or 2-3 shallots or a big handful of chives
2 lemons
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon of olive oil
2½ ounces grated Parmesan cheese (about ¾ cup)
1 cup orzo
3 cups of water
1 teaspoon kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling

Finely chop 1 yellow onion — or blitz it in a mini food processor.

Set a large Dutch oven or pot on the stove and add the onion, 3 tablespoons butter, 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and the zest of 1 lemon, cook over medium heat, stirring often, until onion is softened but not yet browned, 5 to 7 minutes.

Add 1 cup orzo and toast, stirring, for 2 minutes.

Stir in 3 cups water, 1 teaspoon of salt, and generous grinds of black pepper, and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Once the water comes to a simmer, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally so the orzo doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pot, until most of the water has been absorbed (there should still be some liquid at the bottom of the pot), 8-10 minutes.

Taste the orzo; it should be al dente but not crunchy.

Finish the orzo: Remove the pot from the heat. Stir in 2 tablespoons butter — I didn’t think this extra 2 tablespoons of butter is necessary, but if you like it extra buttery, by all means — 2½ ounces grated Parmesan cheese, zest from the 2nd lemon, and the juice from one or both lemons, depending on your taste.

I’d also note that this is a great recipe to prep or mis-en-place, you can set up with pot with the onions, lemon zest, butter, and olive oil, measure out the orzo and parmesan in the afternoon, and then leave it until 20-30 minutes before you want to eat

Pasta Salad

So, yeah, pasta salad is frequently gross and rarely salad. What I like to do is toss a combination of vegetables and herbs together in salt and vinaigrette for a few hours before eating and then, just before serving, I cook the pasta, drain it, and toss it hot with the vegetables and add olive oil, lemon juice, more vinaigrette, maybe cheese to bring it together — I find this makes a really delicious, fresh, refreshing pasta salad.

The Kitchen Sink Pasta Salad

Approximate quantities: 3 Kirby cucumbers, cut lengthwise into thin spears, then into 1-inch segments; 3 medium carrots, sliced into thin disks; 1 pint of grape tomatoes, quartered; kernels of 2 ears of grilled corn; a 16 ounce can of chickpeas, quickly crisped in olive oil, salt, pepper, and cured sumac; 6 radishes, sliced into think disks; 8 ounces of penne, cooked al dente; 10 artichoke hearts, quartered; greens from 4-6 scallions, finely chopped; about 1/4 cup dill-and-lemon infused mustard vinaigrette

Grilled Peppers, Artichoke Hearts, and Tomatoes

Approximate quantities: 2 tomatoes, roughly chopped; 3 Kirby cucumbers, sliced into thin discs; two grilled yellow bell peppers, roughly chopped; 14-16 artichoke hearts, quartered; 2-4 tablespoons of fresh dill fronds; greens from 4-6 scallions, finely chopped; and dill-lemon-infused vinegar or lighter vinegar, like white wine or apple cider, and then juice of 1 lemon; and then one pound of pasta, olive olive, Parmesan, salt and pepper to taste

Chickpeas, Cucumbers, and Tomatoes

Approximate quantities: 2 Kirby cucumbers, sliced into thin discs; 1 pint of grape tomatoes, halved; greens from 4-6 scallions, finely chopped; and a 16 ounce can of chick peas; 1 teaspoon of cured sumac, lemon-and-garlic-infused-mustard vinaigrette or lighter vinegar, like white wine or apple cider, and then juice of 1 lemon; and then one pound of pasta, olive olive, Parmesan, salt and pepper to taste

Kale, Spinach, or Baby Broccoli Pesto

This is adapted ever so slightly from Chris Morocco’s recipe. I’ve eliminated pistachios because they aren’t nut that I keep on hand, although, with the broccoli, I used almonds, which worked very well, and I’ve added lemon, because what don’t I add lemon too. And then, I’ve ever so slightly tipped the vegetable to pasta ratio by using 8 ounces of pasta rather than twelve.

Ingredients

1 large bunch Tuscan kale, ribs and stems removed, or 6 ounces of baby spinach or a large bunch of spinach, tough stems trimmed off, or 8 ounces of baby broccoli
8 ounces pasta
2 tablespoons olive oil
zest or juice of lemon — for the spinach pesto, which I made last week, I used the zest, for the kale, which I made last night, I used the juice of the same lemon, both worked equally well
1 garlic clove
1 ounce Parmesan, finely grated, plus more for serving
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
Freshly ground black pepper

Blend olive oil, zest or juice of lemon, garlic, Parmesan together in a food processor or blender

Bring medium or large pot of salted water up to a boil and cook the kale, spinach, or broccoli until bright green and wilted, about 30 seconds and the scoop out with tongs and transfer to a rimmed baking sheet or large mixing bowl; keep water boiling and add pasta, cooking to the packaging specification

Allow kale, spinach, or broccoli to cool slightly and then wring out excess water with your hands — if you are using broccoli, vigorously shaking works better than wringing

Add kale, spinach, or broccoli and 1/4 cup of pasta water — scoop it out of the pot while the pasta is cooking — to the food processor or blender and purée until smooth

A quick note about this, if you are using a blender, you’ll end up with more of a paste like Chris, if you are using a food processor, you’ll end up with more of a very fine purée

Scrape the pesto into the bottom of a large bowl

Reserving 1/2 cup of water, drain the pasta and then transfer it to bowl with pesto; do this, I don’t want to say as quickly as possible, don’t rinse the pasta, don’t worry about shaking all of the excess water, you want to add the pasta while it’s still hot and 1 tablespoon of butter and toss adding pasta cooking liquid by the tablespoon if needed

Serve with additional Parmesan and fresh pepper

Serves about 4, or 2 if you are hungry and don’t feel like making much more

Radiatore Al Limone with Sugar Snap Peas, Butter Lettuce, and Radiccio

This is probably what Food52 would call an off-road of Deb Perelman’s Simplest Spaghetti Al Limone or what Julia Turshen would call a small victory — last night, rather than make spaghetti al limone, sugar snap peas, and salad, I make a very satisfying one-pot dinner.

8 ounces dried radiatore or penne
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
100 grams Parmesan, Pecorino Romano, or Grana Padano cheese
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon of butter
8-10 ounces of sugar snap peas
2 cups butter lettuce and radicchio, roughly chopped

Boil the radiatore in well-salted water according to package directions

While it boils, finely grate (with a rasp-style grater; here’s the most common one) the lemon zest into the large bowl you’ll use to serve your dish

Use the same rasp-style grater to grate the Parmesan, Pecorino Romano, or Grana Padano cheese into the large serving bowl

Add olive oil and butter and about 1/2 teaspoon salt and several grinds of black pepper and combine them with a whisk until very well mixed and as smooth as possible

Trim the sugar snap peas and cut them lengthwise and add them to the colander that you’ll use to drain the radiatore

When the pasta reaches the ideal texture, scoop out 1 cup of cooking water, set it aside, and then drain the pasta and the water over the snap peas to just barely blanch them

Quickly turn piping hot radiatore and peas to lemon-cheese mixture in bowl and use tongs or spoons to toss it until all of the strands are coated

Add the lemon juice and I don’t find it necessary to add any reserved pasta water, but if the sauce seems think or sticky add pasta water — 1 to 2 tablespoons at a time

Finally add the roughly chopped lettuce and toss one final time

Late Summer Pasta Salad with Tuna, Fennel, Red Pepper, Heirloom Tomato and Cucumber

This is a mash up of Amanda Hesser’s kids’ favorite Zuni's Pasta with Preserved Tuna and Martha Stewart’s recent Pasta Salad with Tomatoes, Mozzarella, and Chickpeas; it’s basically a late summer kitchen sink pasta salad with tuna.

Ingredients

2 heirloom tomatoes, roughly chopped
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
4 Kirby cucumbers, cut lengthwise into thin spears, then into 1-inch segments
1 fennel bulb, sliced into then crescents
2 TBS red wine vinegar
12 ounces — 1 can— of olive oil packed tuna
2 TBS capers
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 garlic cloves
2 TBS of chopped parsley
8 ounces of radiatore, gemelli or fusilli pasta
Pecorino Romano cheese

First, chop tomatoes and sprinkle with salt and set aside and allow them to weep — I do this on the side of my cutting board, or in an empty prep bowl, or since you’ll be draining pasta you can also toss them in the colander

Second, chop cucumbers, fennel bulb, and pepper, place in serving bowl and drizzle with red wine vinegar and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of salt

Third, cook the pasta and saute the tuna: Bring salted water to a boil to cook your pasta per the instruction and while you are waiting for the water to come to a boil, add the garlic cloves, capers, red pepper flakes, 1 tablespoon of parsley, and the entire can of tuna, including the olive oil to a non-stick skillet or cast iron

When the water begins to boil, add your pasta and turn the heat under the skillet to medium-low and saute the tuna the amount of time that the pasta needs to cook — my pasta needed 9 minutes anywhere in this range will work

Fourth, combine everything: Add the pasta, tuna, and drained tomatoes to the serving bowl and toss

Garnish with Pecorino Romano cheese, 1 tablespoon of parsley, and the juice of 1 lemon

Probably should serve four, but we were hungry and so it only served two.