By Melissa Clark, The New York Times
“Midnight pasta” has a fairy-tale ring to it, as if you’re capping off a night of clubbing or a royal ball with some quickly made carbs. To me, it evokes a cook in half-loosened cocktail attire, shoes kicked off, effortlessly gathering ingredients while sipping Champagne from a slipper.
But 7 p.m. on some weekdays can feel like midnight, and in yesterday’s sweats, without a minute to spare, you might need to make dinner with whatever’s on hand.
This is how I usually do midnight pasta.
That doesn’t diminish its glamour. There’s a certain thrill to making something from nearly nothing, to transforming a few garlic cloves, some good olive oil and whatever else you can scrounge from the cabinets into culinary gold.
The traditional Italian version, spaghettata di Mezzanotte, is the simplest of dishes, using only what was in every nonna’s kitchen: pasta, aglio, olio, pepperoncini (garlic, olive oil and chiles).
In our more eclectic times, the dish has grown to include anything you might find in your pantry at midnight or, you know, on a Tuesday after work. Anchovies, onions, capers, olives, pickled peppers, canned beans, tomato paste, Parmesan, spices like fennel seeds and, in my house, lemons are all fair game.
I also like to scatter some kind of frilly green on top, gleaned from my herb pots when they’re blooming or foraged from the fridge when they’re not. Even tired parsley or celery leaves can be finely chopped and strewn like fairy dust over a tangle of spaghetti, adding vibrancy to what can be a rather dun-colored dish. But that’s strictly optional, and skipping it won’t diminish the flavors.
Of the three new takes I offer here, the miso and soy sauce version might be the most unexpected. These ingredients pack a deep wallop of umami, and using pickled peppers in lieu of chile flakes lends brightness as well as heat. Mild white miso works best, integrating seamlessly with the garlic and oil, but you can substitute yellow or red miso if that’s what life, and your refrigerator, have handed you. Just make sure to taste as you go when adding extra salt.
In another take, a can of white beans rounds out a midnight pasta, giving it protein, heft and a pleasing creaminess when the beans break down into the olive oil, turning into a silky, almost velvety sauce. A few crushed fennel seeds lend a gentle, haunting sweetness, and a handful of olives make it nicely briny.
Lastly, to the classic combination of anchovies, capers and garlic, I add whole sliced lemons. The key is to tame their bitterness by blanching the slices quickly in the pasta pot, then sear them in olive oil to caramelize them slightly, soften their tang and give them golden edges.
Midnight pasta keeps its effortless charm no matter what time — or what you’re wearing when — you cook it.
Recipe: Pasta With Miso, Parmesan and Pickled Peppers
A little miso paste and a dash of soy sauce add umami complexity to this simple garlicky pantry pasta, while using pickled peppers, instead of the usual chile flakes, lends acidity as well as heat. Mild white miso works best here, integrating seamlessly with the other flavors. But you can substitute yellow or red miso if that’s what you have on hand; just take care when adding extra salt, tasting as you go.
By Melissa Clark
Yield: 2 to 3 servings
Total time: 20 minutes
Ingredients
- Salt, as needed
- 8 ounces spaghetti, bucatini, linguine or other long pasta shape
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 garlic cloves, finely grated
- 1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
- 1 1/2 tablespoons white miso paste
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce
- 1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan
- 2 to 3 tablespoons chopped pickled peppers, such as pepperoncini, jalapeños or cherry pepper
Preparation
1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat, then season it liberally with salt; it should taste as salty as the sea. Add pasta to the pot and cook until just shy of al dente (check package directions and subtract a minute or so). Using a mug or measuring cup, scoop out about 1/2 cup of the pasta water, then drain pasta well.
2. While the pasta is cooking, melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Stir in the garlic and black pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the miso, soy sauce and 1/2 cup pasta water, and whisk until the miso melts and the mixture is smooth.
3. Toss in the pasta, Parmesan and pickled peppers. Using tongs, keep tossing until everything is well combined and the pasta is al dente, 1 to 2 minutes, adding more pasta water as needed to make things saucy. Season with more salt, if needed, and serve immediately.
Recipe: Pasta With Lemon, Capers and Anchovies
Adding whole lemons slices to a classic midnight pasta brightens the dish, giving it a juicy tang to all the salty, savory flavors in the pan. The key is to blanch the slices in the pasta water first, which tames their bitterness, then to give them a quick sear in olive oil, which caramelizes their edges. Make sure the pan is very hot when you add the lemon pieces. Otherwise, it can be hard to get them brown enough to bring out their natural sweetness.
By Melissa Clark
Yield: 2 to 3 servings
Total time: 25 minutes
Ingredients
- Salt, as needed
- 1/2 lemon (halved lengthwise), trimmed and thinly sliced into half-moons, any seeds removed
- 8 ounces spaghetti, bucatini, linguine or other long pasta shape
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, more for drizzling
- 3 to 6 anchovy fillets, roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoons drained capers
- 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- Crushed red pepper
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, diced
- 1/4 to 1/2 cup chopped fresh herbs or greens, such as parsley, basil, mint, dill, celery leaves or arugula
Preparation
1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat, then season it liberally with salt; it should taste as salty as the sea. Add the lemon slices and let cook for 2 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer to a clean kitchen towel and pat dry. Cut lemon slices into quarters so you get little lemon wedges and set aside.
2. Add pasta to the pot and cook until just shy of al dente (check package directions and subtract a minute or so). Using a large mug or measuring cup, scoop out about 1 cup of the pasta water, then drain pasta well.
3. While the pasta is cooking, warm the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in the reserved lemon wedges, anchovies and capers (you should hear them sizzle) and cook, stirring occasionally, until fragrant and golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium and add the garlic and a large pinch of crushed red pepper; cook until the garlic is golden, another minute or two.
4. Toss in the spaghetti, a large splash of pasta water and butter. Using tongs, keep tossing until everything is well combined and the pasta is al dente, 1 to 2 minutes, adding more pasta water as needed to make things saucy. Season with more salt and crushed red pepper, if needed, and toss in the herbs, letting them wilt. Serve immediately.
Recipe: Pasta With White Beans, Olives and Fennel
A can of white beans rounds out this midnight pasta variation, lending protein and heft along with a pleasing creaminess when the beans break down into the olive oil, turning into a silky, almost velvety sauce. Some crushed fennel seeds offer a gentle, haunting sweetness, and olives make it pleasingly briny. But if olives aren’t your thing, feel free to leave them out for a milder but no less hearty dish.
By Melissa Clark
Yield: 2 to 3 servings
Total time: 30 minutes
Ingredients
- Salt, as needed
- 8 ounces short pasta, such as shells, campanelle, cavatappi or fusilli
- 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, more for drizzling
- 1/2 cup torn pitted olives (black or green or a combination)
- 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
- Crushed red pepper
- 1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh fennel fronds or parsley, for serving (optional)
- Parmesan, for serving (optional)
- Lemon wedges, for serving
Preparation
1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat, then season it liberally with salt; it should taste as salty as the sea. Add pasta to the pot and cook until just shy of al dente (check package directions and subtract a minute or so). Using a large mug or measuring cup, scoop out about a cup of the pasta water, then drain pasta well.
2. While the pasta is cooking, warm the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in the olives (you should hear them sizzle) and cook, stirring occasionally, until fragrant and golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium and add the garlic, fennel seeds and a large pinch of red pepper; cook until the garlic is golden, another minute or two.
3. Add the white beans and let simmer until the mixture thickens, 4 to 8 minutes, mashing some of the beans into a chunky puree.
4. Toss in the spaghetti and a large splash of pasta water. Using tongs, keep tossing until everything is well combined and the pasta is al dente, 1 to 2 minutes, adding more pasta water as needed to make things saucy. Season with more salt if needed and toss in the herbs, if using. Serve immediately, with more red pepper flakes and cheese, if you like, and lemon wedges for squeezing.
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.