Remember back in the day when Emeril Live was on every evening at 8:00 on the Food Network? Back then, there weren't many other options available for cooking shows, so I watched fairly regularly. He had all sorts of catchphrases — "Bam!" being the most famous — but I always liked when he said something was so good you could put it on a bumper and it would taste good.
Another thing that stuck with me was Emeril referring to something as a "food of love thing." I think most of the time he was talking about some kind of comfort food, like Uncle Clint's Mac & Cheese from episode #1 of UaKS, which was posted exactly 10 years ago today, and the Baked Ziti "welcome food" from episode #57 that I make every time one of you shows up here for dinner after a long trip, just like Grandma Pina used to make for our family.
But I think it can also refer to any food, simple to fancy and everything in between, that you make with love and attention and the intention of nourishing the family and/or friends you're serving it to, hopefully accompanied by lively, interesting conversation. Like Emeril said, "Anything made with love, bam! – it's a beautiful meal."
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In the spirit of really pouring all of yourself into a meal that will make whoever you serve it to feel loved, here is a dish worthy of being rolled out on the tenth anniversary of UaKS. Dylan first introduced me to this one, saying it was something he would pay for in a restaurant. He is not wrong. Dylan and Moriah asked if there was some way to simplify it, but I don't really think so, although I have done my best to make it flow logically in my rewriting of the steps. And there are a fair few steps to go through, even if none of them are that complicated.
But I think that's the point: pay attention to all of the steps, starting with the mise en place that is essential here, and do them all carefully, and with love, and you will produce something truly exceptional. Something that would taste good eaten off a bumper.
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Let's talk a little about dried porcini mushrooms and sticker shock.
The two 1-ounce packages I bought were $7.50 each at Whole Foods. (Yes, that comes to $120 per ounce.) You need 1½ ounces for this recipe, so that is $11.25. The pasta will set you back another $3 or so. You'll have everything else around, except maybe the cream. Being conservative, we'll say that's about $18 total to feed 3 or 4 people, so no more than $6 each for a restaurant quality dish. I'm not even sure the mighty Bodo's beats that nowadays, depending on what you're ordering.
Porcini Ragù
The recipe only calls for 9 ounces of pasta, but there's enough sauce for 12 ounces — and you'll want to eat that much — with leftover per fare la scarpetta with a nice crust of bread.
40 grams (1½ ounces) dried porcini mushrooms
50 grams (¼ cup) extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for serving
3 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
3 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
Up to ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, depending how much you like/tolerate spice
½ cup finely chopped fresh parsley, thin stems and leaves
½ cup finely chopped fresh parsley, thin stems and leaves
Rounded ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt, plus 1 tablespoon
Freshly ground black pepper
25 grams (1½ tablespoons) tomato paste
340 grams (12 ounces) dried pappardelle or tagliatelle nests (see note)
40 grams (1½ ounces) Parmesan, finely grated, plus more for serving
45 grams (3 tablespoons) heavy cream
1. Start two vessels of water boiling, one a medium to large stock pot for making pasta, with about three quarts of water in it, the second a kettle.
2. Place the dried porcini in a medium bowl. Cover with boiling water from the kettle. Let soak for 10 minutes. Drain, reserving 75 grams (5 tablespoons) of the soaking liquid, which will be dark brown. When the 10 minutes are up, chop the rehydrated mushrooms very finely, to the consistency of ground beef.
3. Meanwhile, put the oil, garlic, red pepper, parsley, and rounded ¼ teaspoon salt into a cold 12-inch sauté pan, then place the pan over medium-low heat. Sauté gently until the garlic is lightly golden, about 4 or 5 minutes, turning the heat down if the garlic is taking on too much color; don’t burn the garlic!
4. Increase the heat to medium, then add the chopped mushrooms, tomato paste, and black pepper to taste. Sauté for 3 minutes, then remove the pan from the heat (see the middle photo above).
5. Meanwhile, when the pot of water boils, stir in the 1 tablespoon salt 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 (make sure it’s al dente and not soft; you’re going to cook it a little more in step 7). Drain, reserving 2 cups of the pasta cooking water.
6. Return the sauté pan to medium-high heat. Stir in 350 grams (1½ cups) of the pasta water plus the 75 grams (5 tablespoons) of porcini soaking liquid. Bring to a simmer, then let bubble at a pretty good clip for 3 minutes.
7. Lower the heat to medium. Stir in half the Parmesan, until it has melted completely, then repeat with the other half. Stir in the cream, then the cooked pasta. Stir and toss until the pasta is completely coated with the sauce, about 1 to 2 minutes. Add a little more pasta water as needed to get the consistency you’re after.
8. Serve promptly, with a drizzle of oil and a sprinkle of Parmesan. Serves 3 to 4.
Freshly ground black pepper
25 grams (1½ tablespoons) tomato paste
340 grams (12 ounces) dried pappardelle or tagliatelle nests (see note)
40 grams (1½ ounces) Parmesan, finely grated, plus more for serving
45 grams (3 tablespoons) heavy cream
1. Start two vessels of water boiling, one a medium to large stock pot for making pasta, with about three quarts of water in it, the second a kettle.
2. Place the dried porcini in a medium bowl. Cover with boiling water from the kettle. Let soak for 10 minutes. Drain, reserving 75 grams (5 tablespoons) of the soaking liquid, which will be dark brown. When the 10 minutes are up, chop the rehydrated mushrooms very finely, to the consistency of ground beef.
3. Meanwhile, put the oil, garlic, red pepper, parsley, and rounded ¼ teaspoon salt into a cold 12-inch sauté pan, then place the pan over medium-low heat. Sauté gently until the garlic is lightly golden, about 4 or 5 minutes, turning the heat down if the garlic is taking on too much color; don’t burn the garlic!
4. Increase the heat to medium, then add the chopped mushrooms, tomato paste, and black pepper to taste. Sauté for 3 minutes, then remove the pan from the heat (see the middle photo above).
5. Meanwhile, when the pot of water boils, stir in the 1 tablespoon salt 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 (make sure it’s al dente and not soft; you’re going to cook it a little more in step 7). Drain, reserving 2 cups of the pasta cooking water.
6. Return the sauté pan to medium-high heat. Stir in 350 grams (1½ cups) of the pasta water plus the 75 grams (5 tablespoons) of porcini soaking liquid. Bring to a simmer, then let bubble at a pretty good clip for 3 minutes.
7. Lower the heat to medium. Stir in half the Parmesan, until it has melted completely, then repeat with the other half. Stir in the cream, then the cooked pasta. Stir and toss until the pasta is completely coated with the sauce, about 1 to 2 minutes. Add a little more pasta water as needed to get the consistency you’re after.
8. Serve promptly, with a drizzle of oil and a sprinkle of Parmesan. Serves 3 to 4.
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