It's still winter here, all white inside and out...a perfect time to
look at the winter white dinner menu from Life/Style and make a few favorite recipes.
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| Simple wood platters, off-white pasta bowls, relaxed linen napkins |
The best olive
oil possible and freshest garlic really make the
difference in this simple dish of toasted bread crumb pasta
My friend Marité
Acosta, a chef and food stylist, makes these parmesan black pepper shortbreads for hors d’oeuvres at her house,
and they’ve now become sought after at my parties, too.
TOASTED
BREADCRUMB PASTA
Serves 4 to 6
Ingredients
1 pound dry
spaghetti
2 cups breadcrumbs (or panko)
5 tablespoons
extra-virgin olive oil
4 to 5 cloves
garlic, finely chopped
Pinch of red pepper
flakes
Zest of 1 lemon,
finely grated
Grated Parmesan
Directions
1. Bring a large
pot of salted water to a boil over high heat and add the pasta. Cook until al
dente according to package instructions. When straining, save and set aside about
2 cups of the cooking liquid.
2. In a medium bowl,
combine the breadcrumbs with 3 tablespoons of the olive oil. Using your fingers, mix
in the olive oil to evenly coat the crumbs. Toast in a large sauté pan
over medium-high heat until golden brown. Remove to the bowl to cool.
3. In the same
pan, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat and stir in
the garlic, cooking until softened and fragrant, about 4 minutes. Add the warm pasta
to the pan along with about ½ cup of the reserved pasta water and toss well
with the garlic and oil until most of the water is absorbed, adding more if
needed for moisture.
4. Sprinkle half
of the breadcrumbs over the pasta and a pinch of red pepper flakes and toss to
combine.
5. To serve: In
a large bowl, add the pasta and generously top with the remaining bread crumbs,
lemon zest, and grated Parmesan to taste. Drizzle olive oil over the top and
serve.
BLACK PEPPER
PARMESAN SHORTBREAD
Yields about 30 shortbreads
Ingredients
2 cups
all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon fine
sea salt
16 tablespoons (2
sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
¼ cup granulated
sugar
¾ cup Parmesan,
coarsely grated
1 ½ teaspoons
fresh thyme, finely chopped
2 teaspoons
lemon zest, finely grated
Directions
Preheat oven to
325°F and line two 14 by 16-inch baking sheets
with parchment paper.
1. Sift the
flour and salt into a large bowl. Beat the butter and sugar together in a stand
mixer on medium-high until fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the Parmesan, thyme,
lemon zest, and black pepper and continue mixing until incorporated. Add the
flour to the mixture and beat until just combined.
2. Form into
heaping teaspoon- or tablespoon-sized balls and chill on baking sheet in
refrigerator for about one hour until firm. When ready to bake, space the
shortbreads about one inch apart on the backing sheets and bake for 15 to 18
minutes, or until just golden brown on the bottoms. They should remain pale in
color on top.
3. Move to a
cooling rack until cooled and serve.
photographs by marili forastieri
