(CNN) — Horrified by the shape of pasta that wouldn’t cling to sauce, Dan Pashman spent three years designing and testing new pasta shapes.
According to Pashman, unlike spaghetti, where most sauces slide off quickly, or tubes, which do a surprisingly poor job of holding sauce inside, these noodles incorporate what he considers the most important elements in a noodle: It is said to be designed to maximize ease of forking, ease of sauce, and ease of flushing teeth.
The result: one side of the short, curved pasta has two parallel ruffles, with a little sauce firmly held between them. The first batch of 3,700 boxes of Cascatelli (meaning “waterfall” in Italian) sold out within two hours online. It turns out listeners of Pashman’s podcast The Spokeful weren’t the only ones hooked on this new noodle. One publication named it one of their top 100 inventions of the year in 2021.
As Cascatelli manufacturer Sfollini’s supply caught up with demand, more home cooks were able to pick up a box and start putting it to good use. Pashman soon saw the dire state of the sources his fans used to tag him on Instagram.
He was happy that people enjoyed his noodles, but thought the toppings, such as tomato sauce, meat sauce, mac and cheese, and pesto, lacked creativity. Lather, rinse, repeat.
Rather than simply stewing about standard sauces, Pashman assembled his own dream team of recipe developers and culinary experts to create the cookbook. Their mission is to convince home cooks to experiment with a wide range of options for sprinkling noodles, cascatelli, and more.
The journey began with a trip to Italy, during which Pashman made a revolutionary discovery. “I learned that pasta became Italy’s national dish about 100 years ago,” he says. “Many iconic pasta dishes, like carbonara, which even Roman emperors may have eaten, were invented after the 1940s.”
At that point, he felt far less pressure to color within the canons of Italian cuisine.
Like many food cultures, he finds that pasta continues to change and evolve. New dishes are created every day in Italy and around the world, and his March 2024 cookbook is designed to go beyond the box.
In “Anything’s Pastable: 81 Inventive Pasta Recipes for Saucy People,” Pashman says, “I hope people understand that there’s more to eating pasta than you can eat, and that you shouldn’t eat pasta.” he said. “It’s like a blank canvas and can become a beautiful base for just about any delicacy you can imagine.”
Some recipes, such as shakshuka and shells, kimchi carbonara, and spaghettoni alla tacca, are considered more global to home cooks than those found in the pasta chapters of popular cookbooks. Materials included. That’s by design, Pashman says.
“I hope this book will further standardize some of the ingredients and dishes that I draw inspiration from,” he said. “This approach to pasta is just a natural extension of how our country has become more diverse in recent decades, and a broader range of food cultures are being absorbed into the mainstream. These are global recipes, but American It’s also something like that.
4 ways to make pasta even more delicious
Pashman shared four ways to get creative with pasta, but with a few interesting staples in your pantry, you can make pasta easily and affordably in your kitchen.
chili crisp
Made with seasonings like oil, chili peppers, soy sauce, fried garlic, and fried shallots, this condiment delivers an explosion of flavor and texture with every spoonful.
“There are some recipes that call for chili crisps, such as cacio e pepe chili crisps, but there are very few things you can’t add them to,” Pashman says. He especially likes to combine it with dairy products. For his riff on cacio e pepe, pair it with cheese or drizzle it over ice cream for dessert.
Pashman said lao gamma is one of the crunchiest and most iconic chili crisps. If you like heat, look no further than Fly by Jing. If you want a little less spiciness but plenty of crunch, consider Kari Kari or S&B Chili Oil and Kari Kari Garlic.
Zaatar
Pashman reveals that this Middle Eastern seasoning mix goes great with roasted chicken, focaccia, and fried eggs, and even features in some of the recipes in his cookbook. Recipes for spice blends vary, but za’tar most commonly includes ground sumac, thyme (the word za’tar means thyme in Arabic), and sesame seeds, along with marjoram, oregano, cumin, and coriander. It may also be included.
“It’s in our Shakshuka and Shells and one of our pasta pizzas, which is a pizza with a crust made of pasta instead of dough,” Pashman said. “The toppings are inspired by the artichokes, feta, and za’atar that we add to our classic homemade pizza.”
preserved lemon
Lemons, limes, and the zest of both appear throughout the book, as well as plenty of preserved lemons, which Pashman considers “a powerhouse that packs a punch.”
“I love lemons, so I have lemon wallpaper in my kitchen,” Pashman added.
Common in North African cuisine, salted, spiced lemons are funky, tart, savory, salty and, of course, citrusy, Pashman says. He uses lemons in place of regular lemons in recipes like Crispy Gnocchi Salad with Preserved Lemon Tomato Dressing and Cavatelli with Roasted Artichokes and Preserved Lemons.
Whole lemons (yes, you can eat both the pulp and the peel) are sold in jars at many supermarkets and specialty stores. Preserved lemons are also great in salad dressings, marinades, tagines, and yogurt sauces, so you’ll want lots of them.
ritz
Many Italian and Asian noodle and rice dishes incorporate texture, Pashman said. However, “most of the American pasta dishes didn’t get that note. They’re very monotextural,” he said. “Once you start incorporating different textures into your pasta, it’s hard to go back.”
To add a satisfying crunch to any pasta recipe, Pashman has a section dedicated to pangrattatos. Traditionally, these are toasted breadcrumbs and seasonings, but if you want a buttery, crunchy twist, Pashman recommends trying topping them with crushed Ritz or crackers.
Try Ritz Cracker and Chive Pangrattato over cauliflower and beer cheese mac or on a salad with ranch or Caesar dressing. (Skip the croutons.) Do you have everything you need to make them? A sleeve of crushed Ritz crackers, a little unsalted butter, and a handful of chopped fresh chives.
Dan Pashman’s Raab Cascatelli Pasta
Makes enough for 4 to 6 people | Total time: 45 minutes
The recipe uses hot oil to bloom fragrant Thai chili flakes, Pashman said, and adds plenty of lime juice, fish sauce and roasted rice flour to create the characteristic spicy Thai dish called larb. It is said that it brings together the flavors. Cascatelli is a perfect combination because it grips the pieces of meat so well, he said.
Thai chili flakes are available online as well as at many Asian markets and some supermarkets. Larb is supposed to be spicy, but unless you like extremely spicy foods, limit the amount of chili flakes to about 1 tablespoon, advises Pashman.
As a shortcut, you can also purchase roasted rice flour without making it. Instead of 1 teaspoon oil and 1/4 cup rice, use 3 tablespoons prepackaged roasted rice flour and omit step 1. Roasted rice flour can be purchased online or at Asian grocery stores and is sometimes called khao kuah (Thai), or bột thính gạo or thinh (Thai). Vietnamese).
material
● Add 1 teaspoon and 1/4 cup canola oil or other neutral oil.
● 1/4 cup raw sticky or jasmine rice
●2 tablespoons kosher salt
● 3 medium shallots, cut into very thin rounds.
● Divide coarsely chopped fresh coriander leaves and soft stems into 1/2 cup.
● 1/2 cup coarsely chopped and divided fresh mint leaves
●2 green onions (chopped)
●Thai chili flakes 1-3 tablespoons
●2 tablespoons brown sugar
●Fish sauce 1/4 cup
● 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice and lime wedges for serving
● 1 pound ground pork, turkey, or chicken
● 1 pound cascatelli pasta (or radiatore or custe di gallo)
Instructions
1. Make roasted rice flour. Heat 1 teaspoon of oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the rice and toast, stirring the pan frequently, until deep golden brown, 4 to 6 minutes. Transfer to a spice grinder, leaving the pan intact, and pulse until powdered. (You can also pound the rice in a mortar and pestle, but it takes some time and effort to achieve the right texture. It can be a little uneven, but it can be used for large grains or whole grains.) Rice is not desirable.)
2. Bring 4 quarts of water and salt to a boil in a large pot.
3. In a large heatproof bowl, combine shallots, 1/4 cup cilantro, 1/4 cup mint, green onions, chile flakes, and sugar. Heat the remaining 1/4 cup oil in the set aside skillet over high heat until beginning to smoke. (This may take a few minutes depending on your stove; the oil should be very hot.) Keep the skillet reserved and carefully pour the hot oil over the shallot and herb mixture (you should hear a sizzle). ). Add the fish sauce and lime juice to the bowl and stir until the sugar is dissolved.
4. Add the meat and 1/4 cup water to the prepared skillet, set over medium heat, and cook, stirring occasionally to break up the meat, until cooked through but not browned, 6 to 8 minutes. (If the meat begins to brown, add water to the skillet, 2 tablespoons at a time, to prevent browning.) Using a slotted spoon, transfer the meat to the bowl with the shallot and herb mixture, leaving the liquid in the pan throw away. Add the remaining 1/4 cup each of cilantro and mint and stir. (If making ahead, add the remaining cilantro and mint and wait until the pasta begins to cook. Cover the meat mixture and let stand for up to an hour before proceeding with the recipe.)
5. Add pasta to boiling water and cook until al dente (bottom of package directions). Drain, shaking off excess water, and return to the pot. Add the meat mixture to the pasta, scraping it from the bowl, and add three-quarters of the rice flour. Throw and combine.
6. Transfer to a plate or individual bowls, sprinkle with remaining rice flour and garnish with lime.
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