| | | | | | | Angel Hair Pasta With Currants and Pine Nuts. (Justin Tsucalas/For The Washington Post; food styling by Lisa Cherkasky) | | Did a friend forward this to you? Sign up here. Good weekend, all. As you read this missive every Saturday morning — while relaxing with a nice mug of coffee or tea, I hope — I am typically sitting on my couch plotting my meals for the week. While my job means I’m frequently trying, testing or developing new recipes, I often make old favorites over and over. Ditto my husband. There are plenty of reasons to return to the same recipe. One is speed. The more you cook it, the faster you’ll get. (And the less brain power it will take, which is clutch on hectic nights.) Another good reason: If it’s a dish you make a lot, you likely have at least some of the ingredients on hand, so there’s less to buy. Plus, as you master the dish, you’ll get to be so familiar with it that you’ll be well-equipped to start experimenting with different ingredients. For all those reasons and more, food writer Kristen Hartke found herself making this week’s featured recipe, Angel Hair Pasta With Currants and Pine Nuts, all the time when she was a newlywed. In addition to the dried fruit plumped in the same boiling water that cooks the pasta (so smart) and the toasted nuts, this pantry-friendly dish also showcases underappreciated garlic powder, savory parmesan cheese, bright parsley and zesty crushed red pepper flakes. I trust Kristen’s recipe prowess implicitly, but even I was a little skeptical of this somewhat unorthodox combination. But I was totally won over. As she describes it: “Sweet, salty, nutty, garlicky, herbaceous, a hint of spice. Perfection. So perfect, in my mind, that I happily ate this same pasta dish a few nights a week — for several years.” I find that noodle dishes in general are excellent opportunities to start with the same base recipe and adapt as needed. That would certainly work just as well with the Curried Stir-Fried Noodles With Ham and Shrimp that Ellie Krieger featured from a new cookbook, “Weeknight Winners, Family Dinners” by Jack and Emmy Zhang. The couple runs a charming Instagram account, @cookingforlevi, starring their son, Levi. They like this dish as a recipe for kids because it’s so colorful, and young cooks (or fully grown ones!) can help choose the vegetables based on whatever their current favorite color or food is. (Sometimes it feels like it changes every day, in my experience. 🙂) Of course, the protein is up for interpretation, too. Below you’ll find a few more versatile and pantry-friendly noodle recipes. Stock your shelves, and get ready to put them on repeat. What are the recipes you make on a regular basis? Please share them in my live weekly cooking chat Thursday at 11 a.m. Eastern. You can send them, as well as your other kitchen questions, along now. Hope to see you in real time once the conversation starts. Until next week, happy cooking. |  | | (Justin Tsucalas/For The Washington Post; food styling by Lisa Cherkasky) | Angel Hair Pasta With Currants and Pine Nuts Find substitution suggestions and other tips below the recipe. Storage: Refrigerate for up to 4 days. Servings: 2 to 3 (makes about 5 cups) Total time: 35 mins Ingredients - 1/2 cup (2 ounces) raw, unsalted pine nuts
- 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
- 8 ounces dried angel-hair pasta
- 1/2 cup (2 ounces) dried currants
- 1/4 cup (1/2 ounce) grated parmesan cheese, plus more as needed
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, plus more as needed
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon flaky sea salt, such as Maldon
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Steps 1. Heat a medium (3-to-4-quart) pot or Dutch oven over medium heat until hot. Add the pine nuts and toast, stirring frequently, until fragrant and golden, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and transfer the nuts to a small plate. Let the pot cool for a few minutes before proceeding. 2. Fill the same pot with water, set it over high heat and bring to a boil. Add the fine salt, followed by the pasta, and cook according to package directions until al dente. About 1 minute before the pasta is ready, add the dried currants. Reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water, then drain. 3. Return the pasta and currants to the same pot, then add the pine nuts, parmesan, oil, parsley, red pepper flakes, flaky sea salt, garlic powder and black pepper, and toss thoroughly to incorporate. As you’re tossing, add the reserved pasta water as needed, 1 tablespoon at a time, to create a glossy sauce. You may not need all the water. 4. Divide among bowls, top with more parmesan and parsley, if desired, and serve immediately. From food writer Kristen Hartke. Tested by Becky Krystal. Nutrition information per serving (1 2/3 cups,) based on 3: Calories: 591; Total Fat: 30 g; Saturated Fat: 4 g; Cholesterol: 4 mg; Sodium: 481 mg; Carbohydrates: 74 g; Dietary Fiber: 4 g; Sugar: 15 g; Protein: 14 g. Substitution suggestions + other tips and ideas: - Currants >> raisins or finely chopped figs.
- Pine nuts >> chopped cashews, walnuts or almonds.
- Nut-free? >> Toast panko in a little olive oil instead.
- Fresh parsley >> basil.
- Gluten-free? >> Use gluten-free pasta.
- Dislike heat? >> Use less crushed red pepper, or omit.
- Dairy-free? >> Use nondairy parmesan.
Did you miss a recipe? Find more than 10,000 Post recipes online. Have a question or suggestion? Email me at becky.krystal@washpost.com or message @eatvoraciously on Instagram. Becky Krystal is the recipes editor for Washington Post Food. | | | | | |
