Recipes
Pasta Burro e Parmigiano (For Americans: “Alfredo”)
Last updated: December 20, 2025
Serves 2
Ingredients
2 L water
20 g kosher salt
175 g capellini
30 g really good French butter
30 g Parm-Reg, grated
Directions
2 L water
20 g kosher salt
Heat the water and salt in a large pan over high heat.
175 g capellini
Add the pasta to the water, and cook for 2 minutes less than whatever the al dente time is. Transfer to another pan large enough to toss the pasta and turn the heat to medium. Reserve 350 ml (about a cup and a half) of the pasta water, though you’ll likely only need 200 ml.
30 g really good French butter
30 g Parm-Reg, grated
Reserved pasta water
Add the butter and toss to create the sauce. Remove the pan from the heat and give it a minute to cool down before adding the cheese. If you add the cheese while the pan’s too hot, it’ll turn into glue. Add the cheese and a splash of the reserved water and stir or toss to combine. The sauce should be fairly thick, thick enough that there shouldn’t be extra sauce in the bowl when you finish eating. Almost all of it should stick to the noodles.
Cacio e Pepe
Last updated: December 20, 2025
Serves 2
Ingredients
2 L water
20 g Diamond Crystal kosher salt
150 g good Spaghetti
50 g pecorino romano cheese, finely grated
freshly ground black tellicherry pepper
Directions
2 L water
20 g Diamond Crystal kosher salt
150 g good Spaghetti
Bring the water and salt to a boil. Add pasta, and cook until al dente.
50 g pecorino romano cheese, finely grated
freshly ground black tellicherry pepper
Put the cheese and pepper in a bowl large enough to hold the pasta. When the pasta is about a minute shy of being al dente, reserve a cup or so of pasta water. Add ~1/4 cup of the water to the cheese and whisk together to create a sauce. It should be glossy, and not super runny. Use a spider to transfer the pasta to the bowl and stir to combine. Add a little water or extra cheese if necessary to loosen or tighten the sauce as necessary. The sauce should stick to the noodles, and should not be runny.
Rigatoni all’Arrabbiata
Serves 4-6
Ingredients
3 liters (3 quarts) water
45 g (a handful) kosher salt
20 g (2 T) EVOO
20 g (6 cloves) garlic, thinly sliced
2 g (1 T) crushed red pepper
800 g (28 ounce can) San Marzano tomatoes
400 g (~1 lb) dried rigatoni
Recipe
Bring the water and salt to a boil in a pot large enough to fit the pasta.
Meanwhile, heat the EVOO over medium heat in a Dutch oven (👈🏾 affiliate link) or a pan large enough to mix everything together. Once warm, add the garlic and sweat until softened, about 7 minutes, adjusting the heat as necessary to not brown the garlic. Add crushed red pepper, stir, and cook until fragrant, 2-3 minutes. Add the tomatoes, breaking them up a bit with your spatula, and cook for 10 minutes to thicken slightly.
Cook the pasta in the water according to package directions. Two to three minutes before the pasta is done, transfer it to the sauce using a spider (👈🏾 affiliate link). Reserve a cup of the pasta water and add that to the sauce. Increase heat to medium-high and cook until thickened, about 2-3 minutes.
Fettuccine, Morels, Asparagus*, Pea Shoots, Bacon
So I made this with asparagus, but after careful consideration [read: several helpings] I've come to the conclusion that it tastes better without. So. Add the asparagus if you like—it's ~250 g, or about one bunch without the tips and woody ends—or not, your call. I'm not anti asparagus. I actually love the stuff. But in this case I want the bacon and morels to come through more.
If you decide to add the asparagus, blanch them for about 2 minutes in salted boiling water and then shock them in ice water. Toss with the pasta just prior to service to reheat.
Serves 4
Ingredients
30 g (1 thick slice) bacon
20 g (1.5 T) bacon fat or butter, optional
85 g (~1 c) morels
450 g fresh fettuccini
50 g Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated
60 g (about 1 cup, stuffed) pea shoots, roughly chopped
Recipe
- 30 g (1 thick slice) bacon
- 20 g (1.5 T) bacon fat or butter, optional
Add to a large skillet. Turn heat to medium heat just until you hear it sizzle, then reduce to medium-low or low and cook until crispy, adjusting the heat to ensure the bacon fat doesn't burn.
- 85 g (~1 c) morels
Reserve 8 small ones for garnish. Slice the rest lengthwise into 1/8th-inch-thick slices. Add to bacon.
- 450 g fresh fettuccini
- 50 g Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated
- 60 g (about 1 cup, stuffed) pea shoots, roughly chopped
Cook in well salted water to 2 minutes shy of al dente. Transfer the pasta directly to the pan with the bacon and mushrooms; do NOT discard the pasta water. Adjust the heat to medium. Add a third of the cheese to the pasta. Add 1 cup of pasta water. Use tongs or a few spoons to continuously stir the pasta. Add another third of the cheese. And another 1/2 cup of pasta water. Stir, stir, stir. Add the last of the cheese, the pea shoots, and, if needed to make it saucy enough, another 1/2 cup of pasta water. Stir until everything is well mixed and the sauce is emulsified. Divide among 4-6 bowls. Serve.
