Recipes
Romesco
h/t to chefsteps for this recipe. I omitted the parm for because I wanted to highlight the other flavors, and I was NOT disappointed. Original recipe here.
Ingredients
120 g (1 cup) hazelnuts
150 g (1 cup) roasted red peppers
90 g (1/4 cup) olive oil
20 g (1.5 T) apple cider vinegar
15 g (3 large cloves) garlic
10 g (1 cup, not packed) parsley
8 g (1.5 T) Diamond Crystal kosher salt
10 g (2 T) Smoked paprika
Recipe
Toast the nuts in a large frying pan over medium heat until fragrant. Add everything to a blender. Blend!
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.
Court Bouillon
Court bouillon roughly translates to "crap, I need stock but don't have any, what is a poor schmuck like me supposed to do?" Or it might be "quick stock." I've heard it both ways.
No matter how you translate it, it's perfect for those times when you need a flavorful stock but don't have any. Chances are you have most of the basic ingredients though. And even if you don't, you can substitute other flavorful vegetables in their place.
Court bouillon (adapted from Thomas Keller's recipe in Ad Hoc)
Makes 1.5 qts
1 large onion, sliced in 1/4-inch-thick
1 carrot, washed or peeled, cut into 1/4-inch-thick rounds
3 sprigs thyme
3 whole peppercorns. Tellicherry is great, but use whatever you've got
1 garlic clove, peeled
1 quart water
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
Add all ingredients to a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Simmer for about 20 minutes, or while you prep the ingredients of whatever dish you're making that requires stock. Strain the liquid and discard the vegetables.