Tag Archives: pappardelle

Slicked and Spicy Lamb Pappardelle

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This weeknight pasta by Zaynab Issa is all about creating deep flavor in as little time as possible. As in the classic Northern Chinese dish, this recipe deploys a similarly heavy hand of cumin, but complements it here with frizzled shallots and caramelized tomato paste for an added touch of sweetness.

To make things extra fast, use ground lamb and store-bought pappardelle, but any wide, long, flat pasta or other noodle will cling well to the spiced oil and saucy meat. To finish, top the whole thing with a little extra fresh mint to balance out the richness of the dish; and some shavings of parmesan or grana padano.

Our pappardelle cooked to al dente in 4 minutes, so keep timing in mind when making this meal. We also used the entire 2 cups of reserved pasta water. If you’d like the dish to be more meat-centric, use only 8 ounces of pasta (which of course will result in fewer servings). At the end, we added all of the pasta to the lamb mixture instead of doing it in two steps.

As to the amount of pasta, we were originally only going to cook up one 8.8 ounce package, but then decided to use two of them, totaling 17.6 ounces (a bit more than the recipe called for). In the end, we agreed that 8- to12-ounces would have made a better ratio with the one pound of meat. If preferred, ground beef, turkey or pork can be substituted in place of the lamb.

Slicked and Spicy Lamb Pappardelle

  • Servings: 6
  • Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients

  • 2 Tbsp. cumin seeds
  • ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 3 large shallots, thinly sliced
  • Kosher salt
  • 2 Tbsp. double-concentrated tomato paste
  • 1 Tbsp. smoked paprika
  • 1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1 lb. ground lamb
  • 1 lb. pappardelle (or less)
  • ½ cup coarsely chopped mint, plus more for serving
  • Shaved parmesan or grano padano for topping

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT

A mortar and pestle or a spice mill

Directions

  1. Coarsely grind 2 Tbsp. cumin seeds in mortar and pestle or spice mill. Set aside. 
  2. Heat ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil in a large (12-13″) high-sided skillet over medium-high. Add 3 large shallots, thinly sliced, and season with kosher salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until shallots are softened and beginning to brown around the edges, 6–9 minutes.
  3. Add 2 Tbsp. double-concentrated tomato paste and stir to coat shallots. Cook, stirring often, until paste is darkened in color, about 3 minutes.
  4. Add 1 Tbsp. smoked paprika, 1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes, and reserved cumin seeds. Cook, stirring, until spices are fragrant, about 30 seconds.
  5. Add 1 lb. ground lamb and break up into small pieces with a wooden spoon; season with salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until lamb is cooked through, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to low and keep warm. 
  6. Cook 1 lb. pappardelle or other wide noodle in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until al dente. Drain, reserving 2 cups pasta cooking liquid. Return pasta to pot off heat. 
  7. Increase heat under lamb to medium and add 1 cup pasta cooking liquid; stir to combine. Add half of lamb and ½ cup coarsely chopped mint to the cooked pasta; cook over medium-low heat, tossing and adding more pasta cooking liquid if needed to loosen, until sauce coats pasta, about 2 minutes. Taste and season with more salt if needed.
  8. Divide pasta among bowls; top with remaining lamb in skillet, then with more mint. 

http://www.lynnandruss.com

Adapted from a recipe by Zaynab Issa for Bon Appétit

Pappardelle with Mushrooms and Prosciutto

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Getting the consistency of the creamy mushroom sauce right is key for this pasta recipe. You want to reduce it just until it clings to the pappardelle to create a light coating; but be careful not to reduce it too much. To that end, don’t discard the pasta water after removing the pappardelle, you may need it to thin the dish when combining everything at the end (we did).

If you buy the prepackaged prosciutto, it is very thin and almost impossible to keep in one piece as you place in into the hot oil. It doesn’t really matter because in the end it gets crunched up anyway. Our mushroom mix consisted of oyster, cremini, and shiitakes. If unable to source pappardelle, fettuccine would be a comparable substitute.

We altered the amounts of a few ingredients. Instead of 12 ounces of pasta we decreased it to 8 ounces; and increased the prosciutto from 2 ounces to 4. These changes are noted in the list of ingredients below, however, you can decide what amounts work best for you.

Pappardelle with Mushrooms and Prosciutto

  • Servings: 3-4
  • Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients

  • ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 4 oz. thinly sliced prosciutto (about 6 slices)
  • 1 lb. mixed mushrooms (such as chanterelles, maitake, oyster, cremini, and/or shiitake), torn into bite-size pieces
  • 2 medium shallots, finely chopped
  • 1 tsp. thyme leaves, plus more for serving
  • Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
  • 1 cup chicken stock, preferably homemade
  • 8 oz. pappardelle or fettuccine
  • ⅓ cup heavy cream
  • 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter

Directions

  1. Heat ¼ cup oil in a large Dutch oven or other heavy pot over medium. Arrange prosciutto in a single layer in pot and cook, turning once or twice, until crisp, about 5 minutes. Transfer to paper towels to drain.
  2. Heat remaining 2 Tbsp. oil in same pot over high. Cook mushrooms, tossing occasionally, until browned and tender, 5–8 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low.
  3. Add shallots and 1 tsp. thyme, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring often, until shallots are translucent and softened, about 2 minutes. Add stock and reduce heat to low. Bring to a simmer and cook until only a thin layer of stock coats bottom of pot, 5−7 minutes.
  4. Meanwhile, cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until very al dente, about 3 minutes less than package directions.
  5. Using tongs, transfer pasta to pot with mushrooms and add 1 cup pasta cooking liquid. Crumble half of prosciutto into pot. Increase heat to medium, bring to a simmer, and cook, tossing constantly, until pasta is al dente and liquid is slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Add cream, return to a simmer, and cook, tossing, until pasta is coated, about 1 minute.
  6. If pasta sauce is thicker than prefered, add additional pasta water a 1/4 cup at a time, stirring well after each addition until desired consistency is achieved. Remove from heat, add butter, and toss to combine. Taste and season with salt if needed.
  7. Divide pasta among bowls. Top with more thyme and crumble remaining prosciutto over; season with pepper.

http://www.lynnandruss.com

Adapted from a recipe by Claire Saffitz for Bon Appétit