Absorption Method Pasta
This just in: Boiling water isn't the only way to cook pasta! Using a risotto-style technique of gradually cooking the pasta in a saucepan with warm stock results in wonderfully toothsome and flavorful noodles. Because it isn't drained away with the cooking water, a layer of starch coats every piece of pasta, making it extra silky and rich.
Feel free to adapt our basic recipe to your taste by adding zucchini, pancetta, asparagus... whatever you love.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 cup finely diced onion
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon chile flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- half a 1.1-pound package Penne Rigate from Rustichella d'Abruzzo
- 2 plum tomatoes, seeded and coarsely chopped
- 3-4 cups chicken stock (or water), heated and kept warm
- 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
Instructions
In large a saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. When it begins to shimmer, add the the onion and sauté for 3-4 minutes, until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Stir in the chile flakes and salt.
Add the dry pasta and stir to coat with olive oil. Add the tomatoes and 1 cup of stock and cook, stirring constantly, until the pasta has absorbed all of the liquid. Add more stock one cup at a time, stirring and letting the pasta absorb each addition before adding the next, until the pasta is done to your liking.
Remove the pan from the heat, stir in the Parmigiano-Reggiano and serve immediately.