feed me comfort food
Recipe: the perfect maccheroni with pesto by Yvette van Boven
This recipe by Yvette van Boven from her cookbook Home Made Basics isn’t really a recipe, but rather a guide to making a plate of pasta with few ingredients taste great every time. The secret lies in the pasta cooking water. Yvette learned this from her Italian friend Maria, and according to her, it’s the only proper way.
door Lauretta Baarends
How to make the maccheroni with pesto
- Bring a large pot of water to the boil. Once it’s boiling, really add a generous spoonful of salt to the water, followed immediately by the pasta. The salt temporarily makes the water much hotter, which you can also see because it starts bubbling vigorously. This prevents the water from cooling down too much when the pasta goes in.
- Cook the pasta until it is almost al dente; test it yourself, as every pasta has a different cooking time. Scoop 2 cups of cooking liquid from the pan and set aside. Drain the pasta in a colander and let it steam-dry briefly.
- Warm the sauce ‒ this can be one of the pestos below or a few ingredients you’ve put together yourself ‒ in a sauté pan. Stir in the drained pasta. While stirring, add enough pasta cooking water to create a thin layer of sauce around all the pasta. The pasta water now contains starch, which makes the sauce bind, meaning you need less oil or cream for the pasta to feel and taste creamy.
- The pasta will continue cooking slightly and will have the perfect bite; after all, you drained it just before it was ‘al dente’.
- Spoon the pasta directly into preheated bowls and serve.
How to make the miso pesto
- Purée all the ingredients, except the olive oil and water, in a blender or food processor until smooth. With the blender or food processor running, slowly pour in the oil and enough water to achieve a consistency you’re happy with.
- Taste to see whether you’re happy with the balance. If it tastes too little acidic, add another squeeze of lemon. If it tastes too acidic, add another drop of oil. The pesto has a strong, pronounced flavour. That’s how it should be; once the pesto is stirred through the pasta, the flavour will mellow.
How to make the almond and garden herb pesto
- Purée the basil, flat-leaf parsley, garlic, flaked almonds, Parmesan and half of the finely grated lemon zest in a food processor until smooth.
- With the food processor running, pour the olive oil into the sauce in a thin stream until a lovely, thin pesto forms. Season the pesto with salt and pepper.
How to make the cashew and rocket pesto
- Purée the cashews, white wine vinegar, flat-leaf parsley, rocket, olive oil and perhaps a splash of water in a blender or food processor until smooth. Season the pesto with salt and pepper.
Title: Home Made Basics
Author: Yvette van Boven
Price: €39,99
Publisher: Singel Uitgeverijen
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