Hi, everyone! Mia here, jumping in for Emily this week.
I’m sure I don’t need to tell you this, but Valentine’s Day is this Friday. Friday is also Friday, the day of the week that most embodies “expectations versus reality.” I look to Fridays with grand ambitions for a round of cocktails and a little plate of snacks for me and my husband to enjoy, while we put together a glorious roast chicken dinner with a colorful salad of bitter lettuces and my favorite miche from the bakery down the street, the dog calmly watching us from a blanket on the sofa.
Then Friday hits and both of us are tired and too hungry to wait for a whole chicken to cook. The radicchio’s gone south. We forgot to swing by the bakery. The dog is shouting out the window at someone trying to parallel park their car.
So, with all that in mind, I’m sharing five pasta recipes for Valentine’s Day. They’re easy and quick enough for a running-on-fumes Friday, but they still feel like a treat, worthy of poured wine and lit candles. And pasta has the benefit of not needing a knife, so you can eat these dinners from big bowls on the couch in the glow of a warm television. A perfect Friday night.
1. Shrimp Scampi With Orzo
Shrimp scampi is a great move for Valentine’s Day, but you’ll need bread for mopping up all that garlicky, buttery pan sauce. This recipe from Ali Slagle uses orzo to soak up the scampi flavors, saving you a trip to the bakery and creating a light yet satisfying one-pan dinner. Several commenters mention including frozen peas, which sounds like an excellent way to add little pops of green and sweetness.
2. Tobiko Pasta
Eric Kim created this clever pasta as a less-expensive way to enjoy caviar on New Year’s Eve, and I’d argue that the recipe is a perfect option for Valentine’s Day as well. Cream cheese, extra sharp Cheddar (or Parmesan) and wasabi paste form a luscious, tangy base for whatever briny roe you like: Tobiko, ikura and masago all work well. Pair with something sparkling.
3. Spicy Red Pesto Pasta
You’ve heard about Alexa Weibel’s creamy, spicy tomato beans and greens winning over the NYT Cooking subreddit, yes? This pasta — another brilliant Alexa outfit — hits a lot of those same sweet-spicy-savory notes, with sun-dried tomatoes, tomato paste, lots of garlic and a good pinch of chile flakes. Unlike the beans, there’s no cream, but there are walnuts to lend the dish a little nutty creaminess.
4. Rice Noodles With Spicy Pork and Herbs
Are noodles pasta? Is a hot dog a sandwich? Was the dress blue and black, or white and gold? These are things you and your Valentine can consider as you slurp up these spicy, vinegary, refreshing noodles crowned with tender herbs and crunchy peanuts, a recipe from Simone Tong and adapted by Tejal Rao. (For what it’s worth, I’ve made this dish with ground chicken instead of pork, and the result is absolutely stellar.)
5. Pasta With Brown Butter and Parmesan
Melted butter says “I like you,” but brown butter says “I like-like you.” There’s only three ingredients in this Ali recipe (not counting salt and pepper), so I’m going to nudge you to get the good pasta, the good butter and the good cheese. Yes, these are essentially just fancy buttered noodles, but you deserve them, you crazy kids.
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