Best Penne Pasta With Alex Guarnaschelli Recipes

Blushing Angel Hair Pasta image

Provided by Alex Guarnaschelli

Time 30m

Yield 4 servings

Number Of Ingredients 8

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 large cloves garlic, grated
Kosher salt
1/3 cup tomato paste
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
1 cup heavy cream
10 ounces angel hair pasta
1/2 cup finely grated pecorino

Steps:

In a large skillet, warm the olive oil and garlic over medium heat. Add a pinch of salt and 2 tablespoons water. Simmer until the water cooks out and the garlic becomes tender, about 2 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste with 2 more tablespoons water and cook to "fry" the paste for a minute in the oil, stirring. Add the cherry tomatoes and cook over medium heat until they soften, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the cream. Season with salt to taste. Keep warm.
In a large pot, bring 4 quarts water to a rolling boil. Add a generous handful of salt. Bring the water back up to a boil. Add the pasta and cook, stirring with a slotted spoon to make sure it does not clump or stick to the bottom, until al dente, 3 to 4 minutes. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta cooking liquid and drain the pasta in a large colander.
Add the hot pasta right from the colander to the skillet and toss to coat with the cream. Shut the heat off and allow the pasta to rest for 2 minutes. If too thin, gently warm and reduce over low heat for 1 to 2 additional minutes. If it becomes too thick, simply thin it out with some of the reserved pasta cooking liquid. Serve topped with the cheese.

Corn Pasta with Sun-Dried Tomatoes image

Provided by Alex Guarnaschelli

Categories main-dish

Time 35m

Yield 4 to 6 servings

Number Of Ingredients 13

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon coriander seeds, crushed
2 large cloves garlic, grated
3 cups frozen corn, defrosted and drained
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
6 scallions, both green and white parts, thinly sliced
Kosher salt
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1/4 cup dry-packed sun-dried tomatoes (not in oil), coarsely chopped
1 pound penne pasta
4 sprigs fresh basil, stemmed
Freshly ground black pepper
Freshly grated Parmesan

Steps:

In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the coriander and garlic and let it toast until you smell it, 30 to 45 seconds. Add half of the corn and cook for a couple of minutes to soften. Add the sugar, scallions and a pinch of salt. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the heavy cream and simmer until the cream reduces slightly, 3 to 5 minutes.
Pour the mixture into a blender and puree until smooth. If the corn is "stringy" or the sauce grainy, strain through a fine-mesh sieve. Transfer the sauce to a large skillet and stir in the sun-dried tomatoes. Keep warm.
In a large pot, bring 6 quarts of water to a rolling boil. Add a generous amount of salt. The pasta water should taste like sea water. Add the pasta to the pot and stir so it doesn't stick to the bottom as it cooks. Cook the pasta until al dente (chewy but not hard or raw tasting), 8 to 10 minutes. Reserve a little of the pasta cooking liquid in case you need it later, then drain the pasta in a colander.
Toss the pasta in the skillet with the sauce and remaining corn. Add some basil leaves and salt and pepper. Scoop into bowls and top with Parmesan and more basil leaves.