Seal the Deal Pasta from Downtime

"Reprinted from Downtime: Deliciousness at Homeby arrangement with Pam Krauss Books, an imprint of Penguin Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC. Copyright © 2017, Nadine Levy Redzepi.  |||  We jokingly gave this pasta its name because it’s what René made for me on our first date. It’s a bit more sophisticated than my everyday tomato sauce—the tomatoes are peeled, for example, although in reality this is not as much extra work as you’d think. That little refinement makes a big difference though. The beurre blanc sauce is silky smooth and downright seductive, so I guess it truly does earn its name. For a simple sauce like this, I like the flavor of dry vermouth, and always have a bottle in the pantry. Unlike white wine, it can stay on the shelf almost indefinitely, so when you need only a small amount, as here, you don’t need to open up a whole bottle."
 
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photo by Food.com photo by Food.com
photo by Food.com
photo by Food.com photo by Food.com
Ready In:
20mins
Ingredients:
7
Serves:
4-6
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ingredients

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directions

  • Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Using a small, sharp knife, cut a shallow X in the skin on the bottom of each tomato. One at a time, add the tomatoesto the water and cook just until the skin loosens, about 10 seconds (or longer, depending on how ripe the tomatoes are). Using a slotted spoon, transfer each tomato to a large bowl. When the tomatoes are cool enough to handle, use the small knife to peel off the skins. Save the water for cooking the pasta.
  • TIP:

  • If your tomatoes are not very ripe, it may take a few extra seconds in the boiling water toloosen the skins.
  • Halve the tomatoes lengthwise. Working over a small bowl, use your finger tip to poke out the seeds and gel. (Save them for another use.) Chop the tomato flesh into 1/2-inch (12-mm) pieces. Coarsely chop the basil.
  • Bring the pot of water back to a boil and add the fine sea salt. Stir in the pasta and cook, stirring every 2 minutes, until the pasta is al dente, about 8 minutes, depending on the brand.
  • While the pasta cooks, make the beurre blanc sauce: Cut the butter into small cubes. Bring the vermouth to a boil in a small saucepan over high heat andcook until reduced to 1/4 cup, about 2 minutes. Turn the heat down as lowas it will go. A few at a time, whisk in the butter cubes, letting the butter soften into a thick sauce without actually melting. Keep adding bits of butter, moving the pan off the heat now and then so it can cool slightly, until all of the cubes have been incorporated and the sauce is smooth. Stir in the tomatoes and basil and remove from the heat.
  • TIP:

  • You’re not melting the butter here, just getting it warm enough to become fluid but still opaque. Take your time and don’t overheat the butter.
  • Place the pasta serving bowl in the sink and set a colander inside. Drain the pasta into the colander. Return the pasta to its cooking pot and let the water stand in the bowl for a minute to warm it. Empty and dry the serving bowland add the pasta. Add the sauce to the pasta and mix gently but thoroughly. Season with flaky salt and transfer to the warmed serving dish.
  • Serve immediately in bowls, being sure to reach all the way to the bottom of the serving bowl to scoop up the sauce.
  • Recipe courtesy of Downtime by Nadine Levy Redzepi.
  • Get the book here: https://www.amazon.com/Downtime-Deliciousness-Nadine-Levy-Redzepi/dp/0735216061/.

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Reviews

  1. Very family friendly. Everyone liked it. The tips are awesome. Especially how to warm your serving bowl.
     
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