Luisa Obando of DellaCasa is passionate about making and enjoying fresh pasta. Her favorite topic — how to cook fresh pasta properly. Obando’s instructions start with a very rapid boil and always cook pasta in water as salty as the sea. Next, approach the table as Italians do. Your dinner guests should be sitting down at the table, wine in hand, when you boil the pasta. It’s the last crucial step. Lastly, never commit pasta sin and overcook, 2–3 minutes is all you need for fresh pasta.
Instructions
- 1/4 c. pistachios, finely chopped
- 1/4 c. flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
- 1/4 c. Castelvetrano olives, pits removed and roughly chopped
- 1/4 c. extra-virgin oilve oil
- Zest and juice of 1 lemon
- 1/2 t. kosher salt, plus more for pasta water
- 14 oz. DellaCasa fettuccine
- Crushed red pepper flakes, to tast
- Parmigiano Reggiano, lots of it
Preparation
For the gremolata: Finely chop pistachios or pulse in a food processor until fine, but not dust. Chop parsley and olives, and combine with the pistachios, olive oil, lemon juice and zest, and salt.
For the pasta: Bring water to a rapid boil and add a handful of salt. Add pasta and cook for 2–3 minutes. Do not rinse. Remove from water, reserving some of your pasta water. Toss pasta in gremolata to taste, you won’t need all of it for this portion of pasta. In small increments, add a little pasta water and toss until the gremolata is melded with the pasta. Garnish with crushed red pepper and Parmigiano Reggiano. Enjoy immediately.
