Pasta. Will we ever tire from it? The COVID-19 pandemic certainly seems to have quietened the ridiculous noise that deems it 'indulgent', restoring it to it's former glory on the pantry shelf and resuming it's place on the throne that is a staple meal. All this fuss aside, pasta is of the most versatile of dried goods, but it can also get boring AF if you're eating it thrice a week with nothing but jarred passata. Because of this, we're sharing our easy tips to make weeknight cooking pasta feel like weekend cooking pasta, if you catch our drift.

Top with a yolk

For a glossy, rich addition to your noods, try adding a soy cured yolk atop your noodle nest. Simply separate yolks from the whites and place yolks in a small dish or container. Submerge in soy sauce and leave in the fridge or a cool place for 30-90 minutes. The salt in the soy sauce will lightly cure the yolks causing the outside to slightly set, leaving the interior runny. This helps with the grossness of dumping a completely raw cold egg yolk into the middle of your pasta, and simply makes you look like a better cook. Best paired with cheese-fuelled dishes like carbonara or cacio e pepe.

Good ingredients

Spending money on a few good ingredients will take your pasta from good to great. Spend a couple of extra dollars on the fancy pasta, and IMHO, never buy the cheap parmesan, if it comes in a bag it's just not worth it. Usually, shelling out for a good piece of Parmigiano Reggiano will see it last longer, get better with age, and you can chuck the rind into your bolognese while it simmers for a rich, umami addition.

Pan sauces

In the instance you're not covering your noodles in pomodoro, pan sauces can take a sad situation to a luxurious one. For a light, salty, buttery coating: scoop approx. half a cup of pasta water into a heating frypan, along with 1 TBSP butter and 1 cube of chicken stock. Whisk together until the stock and butter have emulsified and turn heat very low. Add spring greens, salt, Al dente pasta, a good handful of parmigiano reggiano and lots of black pepper and toss to coat, adding more pasta water if the sauce starts to stiffen up. Et viola!

Brown butter saves the day

Ravioli with nothing to accompany it? Never fear, sage and butter are here. Brown butter can elevate almost anything because it is nutty and rich but also because when you tell people you're serving something with it, they go enthusiastically bezerk. Heat 100-ish grams of butter in a shallow pan on medium-low heat with a few fresh sage leaves. Once the butter starts to foam, whisk frequently so no milk solids stick to the bottom of the pan and burn. Once your butter is foamy and pale brown, kill the heat (the heat of the pan and the fat will continue to brown the butter, this prevents burning). Add your pasta into the pan and again, toss to coat, feel fancy.

Truffle breadcrumbs

For extra indulgence and little effort, toast breadcrumbs in the oven on a very low heat until golden. Once golden add into a bowl with a 1/2 TSP of truffle oil, stir to coat the crumbs with the oil and spoon atop pasta.

 

Image credit: @alexisdeboschneck