Recipe of the Week: Winter Herb Pasta
by Kelly Rossiter, Toronto on 01.11.08
Image credit: Romulo Yanes
This is one of those great little recipes that you can make with minimal time and effort. It's the perfect meal to make after a hard day at work. In the time it takes for the pasta to cook you can make a salad and you've got dinner.
Who knew bread crumbs could taste so good? I'm thinking as I write this that you could toss in some chopped walnuts or top it with browned pine nuts if you wanted some protein. You'll notice there isn't any parmesan cheese in this recipe. You can add it if you like, but it really doesn't need it. I will admit to sprinkling some sea salt over it though.
Oh, and feel free to crack out the old Simon and Garfunkle and sing along while you're cooking.
Winter Herb Pasta
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
5 tablespoons olive oil, divided
3 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
1 1/2 cups coarse fresh bread crumbs (preferably from a baguette)
1 pound dried bucatini or spaghetti
2 teaspoons chopped sage
2 teaspoons chopped rosemary
2 teaspoons chopped thyme
1 cup chopped parsley
1. Heat butter and 1 tablespoon oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium heat until foam subsides. Cook garlic, stirring, until fragrant and pale golden. Add bread crumbs and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl, reserving skillet.
2. Meanwhile, cook bucatini in a pasta pot of boiling salted water (3 tablespoons salt for 6 quarts water) until al dente. Reserve 1 cup cooking water, then drain.
3. Heat remaining 1/4 cup oil in skillet over medium heat until it shimmers, then cook sage, rosemary, and thyme, stirring, 2 minutes.
4. Add pasta, 1/2 cup reserved water, and parsley and toss well. Add more water to moisten if necessary. Serve sprinkled with bread crumbs.
Serves 4
This recipe is from Gourmet Magazine, December 2007
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I’ve read a few pasta recipes with bread crumbs and this inspired me to try it tonight. I had all of the herbs growing except parsley which I used dried (no doubt it would have been better with fresh). Instead of pasta water, I added a splash of white wine and let the alcohol cook off. I added parmesan, and decided to top it off with some anchovy pieces. Next time may add some hot chili flakes. Agreed that this is a quick and tasty meal!
KR: White wine! Why didn't I think of that? I love it when people improvise with what they have. Thanks
Great recipe. I have a small suggestion though, from a nutritional perspective. You write:
"you could toss in some chopped walnuts or top it with browned pine nuts if you wanted some protein"
Pasta is actually higher in protein (as a percentage of total calories) that either of these nuts:
8.1% protein (Pine nuts)
9.3% protein (Walnuts)
13.6% protein (Pasta)
24.6% protein (Beans)
Both these nuts do have complete amino acid profiles, but be aware of the amount of fat that comes with it - 90% - even if it is very healthy monounsaturated and polyunsaturated.
Beans, as in "pasta e fagioli", complete the pasta's own amino acids with less fat.
"Calories from fat," I would contend, offers a better perspective on macronutrients than gram-counting in the context of a complete diet.
BONUS FACT: Did you know that in terms of "calories from protein", spinach is 51% protein?
Here's my math and sources:
Pine nuts: 837 / 915 calories from fat = 91.5%
74.4 / 915 calories from protein = 8.1%
Walnuts: 704 / 785 calories from fat = 89.7%
73.2 / 785 caloriess from protein = 9.3%
Pasta: 8 / 197 calories from fat = 4.1%
26.8 / 197 calories from Protein = 13.6%
Kidney Beans: 8 / 218 calories from fat = 3.7%
53.6 / 218 calories from protein = 24.6%
SOURCES:
http://www.calorie-count.com/calories/item/12147.html
http://www.calorie-count.com/calories/item/12155.html
http://www.calorie-count.com/calories/item/20421.html
http://www.calorie-count.com/calories/item/16034.html
(calories from protein = grams protein X 4)
Kr: Wow
My sister will be real happy to see something like this, she is somewhat of a connoisseur of pasta, or so she likes to think, lol. Will try it out and let you know if it is as yummy as it looks! Thanks.