Chicken stock, Parmigiano Reggiano, butter
There are times in life that call for a dish so simple it can be thrown together without venturing
out to the supermarket. This is comfort food at its most basic and one that requires very little
of you. It feels silly to call this a recipe, but after a long day, when absolutely nothing has gone
right, this is the kind of food you need – aching simplicity.
Feel free to use any stock you like. I tend to use chicken as it is what I always have to hand,
but vegetable or beef stock work just as well. As it features so few ingredients, my £rst choice
would be to reach for a fresh stock, but there have been desperate times when all I’ve had is
a stock cube and that’s £ne, too. This is not the day – or recipe – to be demanding. I’ve given
approximate quantities of stock here, but this will vary depending on whether you are using
fresh or dried pasta. If you £nd you have too much stock, simply discard most of it, leaving
just enough to thicken up with the help of the cheese. If you are running low on stock and
your pasta is not quite cooked, add a splash more stock or water and continue cooking.
You can’t really mess this up – and that’s what’s important here. Cook it to your liking.
The small-shaped pasta used in this recipe means you don’t need a fork, as there is no
twirling or cutting. It’s meant to be to be eaten with a spoon in your trackpants on the couch.
And remember that just like your bowl of pasta, bad days end, too.
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Serves 1
500 ml (2 cups) chicken stock
small handful of grated
Parmigiano Reggiano,
plus extra to serve
2 teaspoons salted butter
sea salt
chilli akes, for sprinkling
(optional)
extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
FRESH PASTA FOR 1
fregola
DRIED PASTA FOR 1
fregola, risoni, ditalini
Bring the stock to a lively boil. Let’s leave it to the stock to be
energetic. Season to your liking, remembering that you will
be adding Parmigiano Reggiano to the dish later on.
Pour in your pasta and cook until soft and the pasta has
absorbed most of the stock – it should be loose with plenty of
movement. Notice here I say soft and not al dente like I do in
every other recipe. Soft is not overcooked, but cooked enough
to not have too much resistance when you bite into it. You want
comfort here. Turn o the heat.
Throw in the cheese and butter and give everything a big stir.
Your sauce will now look oozy and unctuous.
Season with salt, sprinkle with chilli akes (if using) and serve
with extra cheese and an uplifting drizzle of olive oil.