Fast food

I may not be too proud of some of the breakfast choices I've let you make, but at least I've never subjected you to a lot of nasty fast food meals. There was never any need. With pasta and canned tomato products around, you can always have a good, cheap dinner on the table in 20 minutes. Here are the basics:

First off, the pasta itself. Barilla, which is made in the U.S., costs $1.69 a pound at Food Lion. De Cecco and Montebello, which are made in Italy, are only $1.30 more ($2.99 a pound) at Whole Foods. Throw in some crushed tomatoes (Hunt's are $1.99 for a 28-ounce can at Food Lion, Muir Glen are $2.99 for a 28-ounce can at Food Lion and $3.19 at Whole Foods), another $1 or less of a few other ingredients, and you've made a meal that will feed four people for about $7. See what that gets you anywhere you'd eat out. So no need to go cheap on the pasta.

Once you're in the pasta aisle at Whole Foods, stop when you see the blue-and-yellow De Cecco label. Grab a few boxes of cavatappi so you can make some authentic Uncle Clint's Mac and Cheese. Now look one aisle to the right and you will see these brown-and-red bags:

That is Montebello pasta, which is made from durum wheat semolina organically grown in Le Marche on the Adriatic coast of Italy (same side as Puglia). The pasta is extruded through handmade bronze dies so it has a rougher texture, which holds the sauce better. In 2006, the Washingtonian magazine reported on a taste test of ten commercial pastas by eight "prominent Italian restaurateurs" in the D.C. area. The idea that eight Italian chefs would agree about anything, much less pasta, is preposterous. But Montebello won in a landslide, getting six first-place and two second-place votes, and easily beating out Rustichella d’Abruzzo, which will set you back about $5.99 a pound at Whole Foods. For what it's worth, De Cecco came in seventh, one spot ahead of Barilla. So stock up on the Montebello pasta in various shapes; it'll keep in your pantry for years.

Now look another two aisles to the right and you'll see the canned tomatoes. If you're okay with a slightly chunkier sauce, pick up a few cans of Muir Glen Organic Crushed Tomatoes with Basil. If you like a smoother sauce with no chunks, then head elsewhere to get some Hunt's Crushed Tomatoes. A quick stop in the produce section for some shallots and garlic and you're good to go.

To cook the pasta, fill a big stockpot with about 4 quarts of water. You're wanting to eat fast, so put a lid on the pot and the water will boil faster. When the water reaches a rolling boil, add a tablespoon or preferably two of fine sea salt (or twice that much Diamond Crystal kosher salt) and stir to dissolve. There's a lot of debate about how much salt to put in your cooking water but a tablespoon (0.5% salinity level) or preferably two (1.0% salinity level) works for me. Many people, including Samin Nosrat, swear by a 2.0% salinity level (a full ¼ cup of fine sea salt for 4 quarts of water), but I think that's too much. And anyone who tells you to salt your pasta water till it tastes like the sea (3.5% salinity level) loses all credibility. Add the pasta to the water and stir for about a minute, which is enough to keep it from sticking (no need to add any oil to the water).

When the pasta is almost done, scoop out a mugful of the starchy cooking water, which you'll use to adjust the consistency of the sauce if it's not to your liking. The pasta is done when it's al dente. That means it's still firm to the bite, but not hard. You just have to keep tasting every time you make pasta until you know when it's right. The pasta packages are usually about right in telling you how long it takes to cook their pasta. I set a timer for a minute shy of the package's directions for al dente (so I don't forget) and start tasting a little after that. When it's done, drain the pasta in a colander and toss it with the sauce, adding some of the pasta cooking water if it seems too dry. That's it, good, cheap, "fast" food in 20 minutes from start to finish.

Quick Vodka Pasta

Pasta with Quick Tomato Sauce

Adapted from Cook's Country #49 (Feb/Mar 2013)

Time: 25 minutes

Quick Tomato Sauce
2 tablespoons (27 grams) extra-virgin olive oil or butter or a mixture
2 tablespoons minced shallot (~1 small shallot)
¼ teaspoon dried oregano or 1 teaspoon minced fresh oregano
a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
1 medium garlic clove, minced or pressed
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes (Hunt's or Tuttorosso for a smoother sauce, Muir Glen for a slightly chunkier sauce)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon basil chiffonade, optional

Pasta

1 to 2 tablespoons fine sea salt
1 pound pasta
freshly grated Parmesan cheese 

    1. Bring 4 quarts of water to a rolling boil in a large, covered stockpot over high heat.

    2. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil and/or butter in a large saucier or sauté pan over medium heat. Add the shallot, oregano, and red pepper flakes, and cook until the shallot is softened and translucent but not browned, 2 or 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the tomatoes and kosher salt. Adjust the heat to maintain a steady simmer, then cook until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. Just before serving, stir in the basil, if using, and taste and adjust for salt.

     3. Around when you add the tomatoes to the sauce, stir the fine sea salt into the boiling water until dissolved. Add the pasta and stir a few times during the first minute or two to keep it from sticking. Cook until al dente. Drain, reserving a mugful of the pasta cooking water. Combine the pasta and the sauce and toss well. Add pasta cooking water as needed to adjust the consistency. Serve promptly, with the Parmesan. Serves 4.

Quick Vodka Pasta

Adapted from Cook's Country #49 (Feb/Mar 2013)

Time: 25 minutes

Quick Vodka Sauce
2 tablespoons (27 grams) extra-virgin olive oil or butter or a mixture
2 tablespoons minced shallot (~1 small shallot)
¼ teaspoon dried oregano or 1 teaspoon minced fresh oregano
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, more to taste
1 medium garlic clove, minced or pressed
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes (Hunt's or Tuttorosso for a smoother sauce, Muir Glen for a slightly chunkier sauce)
⅓ cup (80 grams) vodka
1 teaspoon kosher salt
¼ cup (58 grams) heavy cream
1 tablespoon basil chiffonade, optional

Pasta

1 to 2 tablespoons fine sea salt
1 pound pasta
freshly grated Parmesan cheese 

    1. Bring 4 quarts of water to a rolling boil in a large, covered stockpot over high heat.

    2. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil and/or butter in a large saucier or sauté pan over medium heat. Add the shallot, oregano, and red pepper flakes, and cook until the shallot is softened and translucent but not browned, 2 or 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the tomatoes, vodka, and kosher salt. Adjust the heat to maintain a steady simmer, then cook until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. Just before serving, stir in the heavy cream and basil, if using, and taste and adjust for salt.

     3. Around when you add the tomatoes and vodka to the sauce, stir the fine sea salt into the boiling water until dissolved. Add the pasta and stir a few times during the first minute or two to keep it from sticking. Cook until al dente. Drain. Combine the pasta and the sauce and toss well. Serve promptly, with the Parmesan. Serves 4.