Pasta night, fastest to slowest
The pasta itself takes ten minutes in every recipe here. What varies is the sauce, so the list runs from sauces that are finished in the time the water takes to boil to ones that want the afternoon. The notes say where the time goes and which step cannot be rushed. Three of them use egg yolks as the sauce, and in all three the recipe's own warning is the same: off the heat before the eggs go in.
Carbonara Pasta
1 of 8
Four yolks, crisped pancetta, pepper, lemon zest and thyme in a bowl. The hot drained pasta goes in, you count to ten first so it cooks the yolks into a sauce without scrambling them, and you toss. No pan for the sauce at all. The lemon and thyme are this recipe's own twist and not the Roman standard.
Kale and Garlic Pasta
2 of 8
A whole head of garlic sliced thin and softened in butter and olive oil with chile flakes, then kale that was blanched in the pasta water for four minutes, cooked down until dark and soft. The linguine is lifted straight from the pot into the pan and tossed with Parmesan. About twenty minutes.
Spaghetti alla Puttanesca
3 of 8
Anchovies melted into butter and oil with garlic, then olives, capers, pureed plum tomatoes and dried chile on high heat while the spaghetti cooks. No cheese at the end, as the recipe insists. It also tells you to start with one small chile and work up over later attempts.
Spaghetti with Clams in White Wine Sauce
4 of 8
Clams poached two minutes in white wine, then garlic, chile flakes, parsley and lemon zest warmed in oil and half the clam wine reduced into it. Butter is tossed through the drained spaghetti before the clams go on, which is what thickens the sauce. Everything happens inside the pasta's boiling time.
Creamy Mushroom Pasta
5 of 8
Written for one serving, so scale it. Whole button mushrooms cooked cup side up in butter and garlic, white wine evaporated off, then a quarter cup each of cream and broth reduced with Parmesan. Fifteen minutes, and the only patience needed is letting the wine cook off fully.
Pasta with Pancetta and Cauliflower
6 of 8
Cauliflower blanched four minutes and shocked in ice water, pancetta browned, garlic and chile added, then the cauliflower and drained tomatoes. The pasta comes out two minutes early to finish in the pan, and three yolks beaten with Pecorino go over it on low heat. Half an hour with some juggling.
Spaghetti with Bolognese Meat Sauce
7 of 8
A battuto of onion, carrot, celery and fennel browned in butter with cubed ham, beef browned separately, red wine scraped up, then stock, tomato paste, plum tomatoes, a bay leaf and a strip of lemon rind. The recipe asks for an hour or more at a bare bubble. Make it earlier in the day.
Lasagne
8 of 8
A quick ragu of bacon, mince, chopped tomatoes and a spoon of honey simmers twenty minutes, then goes into the dish in four layers with dry lasagne sheets. The white layer is creme fraiche loosened with water, with mozzarella and Parmesan on top, baked for half an hour. Simpler than a bechamel and about ninety minutes start to finish.