The old girl learns a new trick "Pastasotto"

Your faithful correspondent, Annalena, is always on the watch for something that looks interesting , easy and tasty. The three concepts, however, are not found together all that often. Indeed, she is reminded of an old slogan that was used at a biotech company: "good. fast. cheap. Choose two."
Think about it. Exclude men from your thoughts, but think about your own work product. See what Annalena means?
Now, it also may come as a surprise to you, but Annalena has her prejudices. She has her favorite, and not so favorite foods. She has her favorite, and not so favorite restaurants. And she has her favorite, and not so favorite, food writers.
Mark Bittman, "The Minimalist" for the New York Times, falls into the not so favorite category. In my opinion, his recipes are frequently not workable, or they produce a dish that is just not good. I also find him more than a bit full of himself when he presents on television. So when I read his column, I approach it with a modicum of salt.
A week ago, however, he wrote a piece on a culinary idea that I had seen before: "risotto" , but using another starch: pasta in this case. Annalena is familiar with orzotto, the version using broccoli, and at a restaurant this past weekend, was served a lentil risotto that was not a risotto. What it was is anyone's guess. It was ok, but risotto? NO.
And what, precisely, IS risotto? Well, I would have to check with Professor to be Jonathan, but the word sounds like "riso" and "sotto" combined. Riso is, of course, rice, and "sotto" is "under.' I guess, if my derivations are correct, because the rice is under liquid while you cook it. (PTB: can you check this, per favore? Grazie). However, one of the points of risotto is that it is NEVER completely submerged in liquid. If it is, you are doing something wrong, and may be on your way to pilaf. Not a bad thing, but not risotto.

Well, I have written about risotti before, and I shall refer you to those note. Mr. Bittman's recipe was appealing to me, as I was trying to come up with an appropriate starch to serve with my "should be legendary" roast chicken, and nothing was feeling right. As I went through his recipe, I simplified it. This is "bare bones." If you are familiar with risotto making, you will know precisely what to do to make it fancier. I used cooked squash because that's what I had on hand. He recommends cooked mushrooms. I can see that. He also uses chicken. I can't see that. I like these dishes as "contorni" rather than full meals.

You'll see reference to "small pasta" in the recipe. I used stelline: little stars, what we called "pastina" when I grew up. I believe, with no reason to back me up, that these smaller pastas have more starch and are creamier than the bigger ones. If all you have are big pasta, however, break them up. Indeed, this is what is done with the wonderful Mexican pasta dish "fideus," which is so satisfying baked in a casserole with crab. (Hmmmm.).

Now, the purist amongst you will see that the stock is not heated up. That is correct. I had my doubts, but it works. It really, truly does. Try it. I betcha you're gonna like it.

To begin, chop up two shallots (he used one), and a couple of gloves of garlic. Measure out half a pound of that small pasta I atlked about above. If you are so inclined, have half a cup of white wine ready, and you must also have about 3-4 cups of broth t here, too. Chicken is traditional, and to me, works the best. You could use others though. And for my version, a cup of cooked squash. Use a cup of another cooked vegetable if you like.

Now, time to have some fun. Get a wide pan, and add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and the shallot and garlic. Saute them just for a few minutes. Then add the pasta, together with a half teaspoon or so of salt. Stir the pasta in the cooked aromatics and the oil. It will glisten, and even pick up a bit of color. When that happens, toss in the wine and let it evaporate. If you are not using wine, start with half a cup of your stock.

Start adding the remaining stock, half a cup at a time. Stir while you're cooking, and when the liquid is almost gone, add the next half a cup. It will take about a minute/minute and a half after each addition. After you've added 2.5 cups of stock, taste the pasta for softness. It probably will be too hard and you should continue to cook. Mine was perfect after three cups of stock, but this is all dependent on the shape, the manufacturer, your pan, the height of the tide in the Bay of Fundy (I made that last one up, but you get the idea). Then, stir in the squash, and you are finished, except for tasting and correcting salt and pepper.

You could make this and finish it with butter and cheese, and when I make it that way, my buddy Keith is going to come over and make it with me (aintcha?). Would this work with non-wheat pasta? A good question. It would seem that it would work with rice pasta, shouldn't it? My buddy David is going to come over and make THAT one with me, (aintcha?).

I think you will be pleased. A good risotto is a think of true beauty and wonderful flavor. And so is this. So instead of going and buying a box of Stove Top stuffing, make a pastasotto. Have a friend over, and enjoy it. And let Annalena know if you liked it.