Dinner Tonight: Bucatini with Fava Beans
Some of my favorite bowls of pasta in New York come from a restaurant called Franny's, even though they're more famous for their pizzas. All of the pastas have a wonderful simplicity and this marvelous richness that eludes me. Last week they served a Bucatini alla Gricia with Fava Beans that I was eager to recreate at home—but I had no idea how to make it taste quite so transcendent.
Incidentally, Franny's just released a newsletter with a recipe for linguine with ramps. We've already covered that territory on Dinner Tonight, so I replaced the ramps with fava beans while retaining the curious cooking technique that may be the secret to the pasta's deliciousness: the barely undercooked bucatini goes into the skillet with whatever vegetables you have going, then a knob of butter is added with a little of the pasta cooking water. Swirled with tongs, the noodles continue to cook and give off starch, which marries with the butter to create a rich sauce. I finished it off the heat with a handful of Pecorino cheese for a very satisfying bowl of pasta.
About the author: Blake Royer lives in Brooklyn and spends most of his free time cooking and writing about it here at Serious Eats and on The Paupered Chef. From 9 to 5 weekdays, he works as an assistant book editor in Manhattan.
Bucatini with Fava Beans
- serves 4 -
Adapted from Franny's
Ingredients
1 pound bucatini
1 pound fava beans (weight including pods—about 15-20)
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
Freshly grated Pecorino
Salt and pepper to taste
Procedure
1. Bring two pots of water to boil, both salted. In the meantime, split the fava bean pods and remove the beans within. Prepare a bowl filled with ice water, then blanch the beans for about 2 minutes. Remove to the ice bath, then slip off the skins to reveal the bright green bean within.
2. Cook the bucatini until 1-2 minutes before al dente.
3. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat and sautee the garlic until fragrant and soft. Add the fava beans and a splash of water and cook gently until the beans are tender. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Add the drained pasta to the skillet along with the butter and a little pasta water. Toss to combine, then swirl the pasta around the skillet for a few minutes until the pasta finishes cooking and a sauce has formed.
5. Remove the pasta to bowls, top with grated cheese and serve immediately. Finish with olive oil or pasta water if too dry.
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7 Comments:
Isn't bucatini the hollow "spaghetti"? I made some the other night and I swear we had the hardest time eating it. You can't suck it up like regular noodles because of the hole in the middle. It's like trying to suck a straw into your mouth!
threedogkitchen at 4:25PM on 05/29/08
Blake, this cooking method seems "curious" to you? Under-cooking pasta and then allowing it to cook to completion in the saucepan with some cooking broth and butter and other ingredients is totally standard. In fact, I'm pretty sure I've read other posts of yours where you have done this very thing. Why do you consider this strange?
simon at 4:54PM on 05/29/08
threedogkitchen: The first time I cooked with bucatini it was the kind they carry at Trader Joe's and yeah, I had that same difficulty! This time I used Setaro brand which was a little skinnier and it wrapped better. So maybe you could try a different brand?
simon: I've definitely finished pasta in the skillet to take advantage of its starch before, but no, I can't remember a time when I did it swirled with butter. Didn't know that was standard -- but I'm glad to have it in my arsenal now! I think it would work well with many variations.
Blake Royer at 10:14PM on 05/29/08
Blake - about how long do the favas cook in step 3?
jlbrach at 9:38AM on 05/30/08
jbrach: It depends on their size, but I'd say about 5 minutes or so. They should be tender but still have a vibrant green color.
Blake Royer at 10:13AM on 05/30/08
The bucatini at trader joes is actually bucati -- quite a bit larger than bucatini and really not a pasta that is easy to deal with.
tgardon at 10:30AM on 05/30/08
Butter is the not-so-secret ingredient in most Italian cooking that of course, most Italians won't admit to using. I almost always use butter with pasta, if I don't it's on the rare occasions when I don't have any. A great substitute I've been enjoying recently is rendered duck fat. D'Artagnan sells it in little tubs. I use it for frying eggs too. Or just about any time butter would normally be used. Although I haven't tried it on toast yet... :)
simon at 4:27PM on 05/30/08