Reheating time: 10-15 minutes
Does anyone remember the great bucatini shortage of 2020? What a time to be alive. I saw boxes online going for like 300% what they normally cost. I had no idea that people needed so much bucatini in their lives. Actually, I had no idea that dried bucatini was even a thing. Seriously. My entire life, it’s been fresh bucatini or no bucatini. And that’s kinda the way that I like it. We’ve got the fresh bucatini, all right. Coming in hot (metaphorically speaking) from Deano’s pasta in Somerville. They made a whole mess of bucatini for you all, so that you can get down and dirty on some sweet, spicy, and bacon-y pasta tonight. From the sugo to the salad, there’s flavor in abundance- and I can’t wait for you to try it. Get a pot of water on, pour yourself a glass of red wine, dump a bucket of cold water on your head, and get ready for some summer pasta.
Get in there!
For the pasta:
I promise, fresh pasta is so worth it. Yeah, you gotta cook it- but for real- it’s worth it. Bring a pot of water to a boil, and season it with kosher salt. Should taste like the ocean. Not so salty that it burns your mouth, but like, pretty salty. Once boiling, drop in the fresh bucatini noodles, and give them a stir to allow them to float freely. Boil for 1-2 minutes– depending on how you like your pasta. I like some tooth to my bucatini, so I’d go for about 75-90 seconds. But test it! Perhaps the elevation of your house will make your pasta boil at a lower temperature- or perhaps you live 2.5 miles beneath the earth, and your pasta boils at like 110 degrees. I don’t know where you live, so I don’t know how long your pasta will take! Gotta experiment and figure out what you like the best!
Once it’s cooked, strain, and reserve some of the pasta water. Return the pasta to the pot, set the what over medium low, and add the sauce, stirring to warm. Add a splash or two of the pasta water to thin it out to your desired consistency, and get it nice and hot! If your sauce is too thin, reduce a bit. If your sauce is too thick, add some more water. Finally, give it a season- lots of black pepper!
The plating is the fun part! Using tongs, grab a bundle of the bucatini, and pull it high into the air. Let the noodles drape down, and lower them into your bowl. As you lower, either spin the bowl, or rotate your tongs to form a nice bucatini nest. Once all the noodles are in, release the tongs! Scoop some extra sauce on top, and apply a large dollop of the basil pesto right on top. *chef’s kiss*
For the garlic bread:
Hello garlic bread, my old friend… Theo was really bugging me to do garlic bread again. Just kidding. He comes up with loads of ideas every week, and none of them are garlic bread. But he really makes the crap out of it, and so here we are. To reheat, toast or bake in the oven till golden brown and crispy. It’s the perfect vessel for all that sauce! Yumyumyumyumyum.
For the leaves:
The best leaves. Ever. Hands down. With the best radishes and turnips ever, too. Just pop the leaves in a bowl, dress with the creamy peppercorn vinaigrette, and season with salt. Toss, toss, boom. Done. I’m out of room!!!
Enjoy 🙂 <3 WECO
