A Romantic Midnight Pasta

My friend surprised us with the sweetest recipe.

Hello! How’s your week going? The boys and I are finishing up our family trip and heading home on Friday. I’m excited to catch up.

Meanwhile, I’d love to share a delicious surprise recipe from my friend Odette Williams, author of Simple Cake, Simple Pasta, and the wonderful newsletter Devour. (Also, remember her drinks party tricks?) When she sent it to me, I was so touched, and I thought you might like it, too.

Here’s Odette…

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Midnight Pasta
By Odette Williams

The other week, Joanna, Eric Kim, Adam Roberts and I met up for a drink and bite in our neighborhood. Freddie arrived late and joined us.

I’ve been married nearly 20 years to my husband, Nick. We’re still doing it. And by doing it, I mean parenting, supporting each other’s careers, investing in our families, sharing house projects, paying bills, having sex, and schlepping kids to sweaty, stinky tournaments in far-flung corners of Pennsylvania. We’re still laughing, still discovering new things, and — delightfully — still deeply into one another.

But sitting next to Joanna and Freddie the other night, it made me remember the heady early days of courtship. When you just can’t get enough. The touches, asides, kisses.

What a feeling, to know that at some point in the night, you’ll peel off, and then peel off all sorts of things later. All that anticipatory lust. God, I’m giddy just writing about it.

Falling in love is magic. For those of us who need a reminder of this feeling, we can live vicariously by cooking this pasta, and watching the romantic classics filmed in Manhattan: Frankie and Johnny, When Harry Met Sally, Moonstruck, The Way We Were, Falling In Love…

I’ve been developing a bunch of simple pasta recipes, and it made me think of the scene in Nora Ephron’s Heartburn, when Meryl Streep and Jack Nicholson are eating pasta in bed late at night, and he says, “This is the best carbonara I’ve ever had in my life.”

That’s when I knew I needed to get the lovebirds a creamy bedtime pasta — STAT.

I’m not sure of Freddie’s culinary chops, but I know Joanna’s bandwidth in the kitchen is limited. (She possesses many other superpowers.) So, I needed a recipe either of them could crank out, and blow the other's mind with.

This dish was inspired by two restaurants I love. The first: Via Carota in the West Village. They serve a Tagliatelle with Parmigiano, Prosciutto & Peas that’s obscenely decadent. I think there’s a whisper of nutmeg to the creamy sauce? It makes sense — it’s a classic touch in béchamel. So, I’m adding it to mine. I’m also borrowing their idea of topping the pasta with delicate, melt-in-your-mouth sheets of prosciutto, torn into bite-sized ribbons.

The second inspiration came from Feast & Floret, a cozy restaurant in Hudson, New York, owned by a friend. Nick and I have a place upstate, and when we’re not in the mood to cook, we head there for dinner. Recently, they had a Caramelized Leek & Pancetta Fettuccine on the menu. Guys, the leeks! That’s the secret weapon. They bring an earthy sweetness that cuts through the silky rich sauce. I could have slammed at least three bowls.

So Jo, Freddie — here’s a midnight pasta named after you. I promise, it won’t keep either of you in the kitchen long.

Creamy Leek, Prosciutto & Parmigiano Fettuccine
By Odette Williams

Vegetarians, leave off the prosciutto, and you still have a tasty pasta. Use a microplane or the finest side of a box grater to grate the Parmigiano — this ensures it melts effortlessly into the pasta. In spring, I use green garlic with the leeks.

Serves: 2 (plus one lunch serving the next day)
Total time: 20 minutes

Ingredients
8 oz (230g) fettuccine
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 small-medium leeks, trimmed, white and light green parts only, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1¼ cup (300ml) heavy cream
Finely grated nutmeg
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1½ cups finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus more for serving
4 delicately thin sheets of prosciutto (about 2 oz)

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta, according to the package instructions.

2. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the leeks and garlic, and sauté for 5 minutes, until soft and fragrant.

3. Reduce the heat to low. Add the cream, pinch of nutmeg, salt, and lots of cranks of black pepper. Let it gently simmer.

4. When the pasta has cooked, use a spider or tongs to transfer the pasta into the creamy leek sauce. Add the Parmigiano and about ½ - ¾ cup of pasta water. Toss or stir until the cheese melts and the glossy sauce coats the pasta.

5. Divide into bowls. If using, tear the prosciutto into bite-sized pieces (sneak a piece), and place on top of pasta.

6. Serve pronto with more Parmigiano.

Odette, what a treat! Thank you so much for this magical recipe.

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Thank you so much for reading. Coming up soon: a GORGEOUS English house tour deep in the countryside. Lots of love xoxo