The Minimalist Cooks Dinner (8 page)

TIME:
30 minutes

MAKES:
3 main-course to 6 first-course servings

All winter, I dream of the time when there are so many fresh herbs that it seems imperative to use them at almost every meal. One of my favorite ways to take advantage of this abundance is to mix large quantities of herbs with pasta and a simple base of olive oil and garlic. In winter, a dish like this would not only seem exotic but would also cost a small fortune. In summer, however, it is an inexpensive no-brainer.

• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil, or more to taste
  

• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
  

• 1 cup or more mixed herbs, such as parsley, dill, chervil, basil, tarragon, sage, thyme, oregano, marjoram, or mint (leaves and thin stems only)
  

• 1 tablespoon butter, optional
  

• Salt
  

• 1 pound linguine or other long pasta
  

• Freshly ground black pepper
  

1. Begin heating a large pot of water for the pasta. Meanwhile, combine the oil and garlic in a small saucepan and turn the heat to medium-low. Cook gently, just until the garlic beings to color, then remove from the heat. Meanwhile, wash and mince the herbs. Place them in a bowl large enough to hold the pasta. Cut the butter into bits, if you’re using it, and add it to the bowl.
   

2. Salt the boiling pasta water and cook the pasta until tender but not mushy. Reserve ½ cup of the pasta cooking water, then drain the pasta and toss with the herbs and reserved oil-garlic mixture. Add a little more olive oil or some of the pasta water if you did not use butter and the mixture seems dry. Season with salt and pepper and serve.
   

TIME:
30 to 40 minutes

MAKES:
3 main-course to 6 first-course servings

Parsley is the most reliable and underrated herb in the western culinary world. Although we’ve come a long way from the days when its major role was as a decorative sprig on the side of a plate, we still don’t use parsley in the kinds of quantities we could. Here, it is cooked like a vegetable—like spinach, really—to create a delicious, fresh-tasting pasta sauce, one that provides blessed relief in the winter and can become a staple in the summer.

• 2 tablespoons butter or extra virgin olive oil
  

• ¼ cup minced shallot or onion
  

• 2 or 3 bunches parsley, (about 1 pound), stemmed, washed, and dried
  

• 1 cup heavy cream or half-and-half
  

• Salt
  

• 1 pound cut pasta, such as ziti or penne
  

• Freshly ground black pepper
  

• Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
  

1. Begin heating a large pot of water for the pasta. Put the butter or oil in a deep skillet and turn the heat to medium. When the butter melts, or the oil is hot, add the shallot or onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the parsley and cook, stirring, for about a minute. Add the cream and turn the heat to low.
   

2. Salt the pasta water and cook the pasta until it is tender but not mushy. Season the parsley mixture with salt and pepper. Drain the pasta, toss it with the parsley mixture and some grated cheese, and serve.
   

Pesto has become a staple, especially in late summer when basil is at its best. But pasta with pesto does have its limits; it’s simply not substantial enough to serve as a main course. The Genoese, originators of pesto, figured this out centuries ago, when they created trenette with pesto. Trenette is a pasta almost identical to linguine, and trenette with pesto (trenette is always served with pesto) often contains chunks of potatoes and green beans, which make it more complex, more filling, and more interesting than plain pasta with pesto. Recreating this classic dish is straightforward and easy.

TIME:
30 minutes

MAKES:
3 main-course to 6 first-course servings

• 2 cups basil leaves
  

• 2 garlic cloves, peeled
  

• Salt
  

• ½ cup grated Pecorino Romano or other hard sheep’s-milk cheese or Parmigiano-Reggiano
  

• ½ cup extra virgin olive oil, or more to taste
  

• 2 tablespoons pine nuts
  

• 2 medium potatoes (about ½ pound), peeled and cut into
  

• ½-inch cubes
  

• 1 pound trenette or linguine
  

• ½ pound green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch lengths
  

1. Begin heating a large pot of water for the potatoes and pasta. Combine the basil, garlic, salt to taste, and cheese in a blender or food processor; pulse until roughly chopped. Add ½ cup oil in a steady stream, and continue to blend until the mixture is fairly creamy adding a little more oil or some water, if necessary. Add the pine nuts, and pulse a few times to chop them into the sauce.
   

2. Salt the boiling water. Add the potatoes and stir; cook for 3 minutes, then add the pasta, and cook as usual, stirring frequently about 10 minutes in all. When the pasta is about half done—the strands will bend but are not yet tender—add the green beans.
   

3. When the pasta is done, the potatoes and beans should be tender. Drain the pasta and vegetables, toss with pesto and more salt or olive oil, if you like, and serve.
   

TIME:
30 minutes

MAKES:
3 main-course to 6 first-course servings

Few things are simpler than a quick tomato sauce over pasta, but as an unending diet it can become somewhat tiresome. Here it’s completely jazzed by the addition of a hefty amount of garlic and a few anchovies. The transformation is as easy as it is remarkable.

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  

• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
  

• 4 to 6 anchovy fillets, with some of their oil
  

• One 28-ounce can tomatoes, crushed or chopped and drained of their juice
  

• 1 pound linguine
  

• Salt and freshly ground black pepper