Witchy Kitchen

Tag: Italian

  • Creepy Pasta: Squid Ink Pasta with Octopus and Burrata

    Creepy Pasta: Squid Ink Pasta with Octopus and Burrata

    The Slender Man mythology, originating from a creepypasta story on the Something Awful forums sometime in 2009, has wound its way through our society, from spooky Internet meme to real life crime. Most recently, the character appears in the film Slender Man, directed by Sylvain White (who has directed episodes of The Americans and Sleepy Hollow). It was written by David Burke, and staring Joey King (The Conjuring), Julia Goldani Telles, Jaz Sinclair, Annalise Basso and Javier Botet as the titular character.

    Though the film itself may feel disappointingly thin (you can read the Nightmare on Filmstreet review here), the folklore itself is fascinating and it’s not hard to see how this spooky tale went viral. Slender Man is a supernatural figure, unnaturally tall with long, Lovecraftian tentacle-like arms, who wears a suit, and has a stark face without features. He dwells in the dark woods , and snatches children in the night. An insidious monster, he’s shadowy, has unknown motivations, and preys on the most innocent people in our society.

    So what are we cooking up inspired by the most famous advent of Internet folklore, Slender Man? An elegant and very literal Creepy Pasta! Squid ink is what makes this spaghetti inky and black; the aesthetic is perfect, and it’s tasteless so you can cook it the same as any other spaghetti. Burrata cheese is pale and striking like Slender Man’s featureless visage. It’s lovely and creamy in this dish (if you can’t find burrata, fresh mozzarella would work as well), and the tarragon that seasons it is fragrant greenery that could be foraged in his woodsy home. The ingredients marry together like an evil plan.

    If ink black pasta isn’t enough, it’s the octopus tentacles that take this dish into full creepypasta territory. They look impressive, and may seem daunting, but octopus is actually not too difficult to cook. It just takes a little patience stalking – I mean watching over – your cooking pot. Octopus can be rubbery, but slowly simmering it in a flavorful liquid for a long time yields tender tendrils that you can coil over your final dish.

    Creepy Pasta (Squid Ink Pasta with Octopus and Burrata)

    For the octopus

    • 1 pound octopus, cleaned and rinsed
    • 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
    • 1 lemon, quartered
    • 3 garlic cloves, smashed

    In a large pot, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil and place the lemon slices, skin down, for several minutes until charred. Charring the lemon will give a stronger lemony flavor. Add garlic cloves and stir until fragrant, being careful not to burn. Add several cups of water and bring to a low simmer on medium low heat. Gently lower octopus into the pot, and if necessary add enough water to cover. Simmer the octopus until very tender, about hour and a half, checking occasionally for water level.

    Drain and gently remove octopus and pat dry. Cut tentacles off the head (which you can discard). In a small pan, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil and sear tentacles on both sides until lightly golden. Remove and set aside.

    For the pasta

    • 4 ounces squid ink pasta
    • 3 tablespoons olive oil
    • 3 garlic cloves, sliced
    • 1/4 cup white wine
    • juice of half a lemon
    • salt to taste
    • 1 4 ounce ball burrata, torn
    • small handful tarragon, finely chopped

    Cook pasta al dente in well-salted water according to package directions. Before draining, reserve a half cup or so of the pasta water.

    In a large pan, heat olive oil and saute garlic until lightly golden. Add white wine, lemon juice, and a pinch of salt, and cook until liquid is reduced and mostly cooked off. Add pasta to the pan and toss to coat, adding pasta water a tablespoonful at a time until desired consistency (liquid should just coat pasta but not be soupy).

    Serve on a large plate; arrange torn burrata and octopus tentacles on top, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with chopped tarragon. Serve hot!

    First published on Nightmare on Film Street.

  • Linguine with Clam Sauce

    Linguine with Clam Sauce

    You are in my blood. I cant help it. We can’t be anywhere except together.

    Weetzie Bat by Francesca Lia Block is a glittery glam fairy tale, full of enchanting characters living deliciously on a sparkling sun-soaked LA backdrop. Though it views the world through neon pink colored glasses, it sensitively takes on some very real issues. I loved this and the rest of the Dangerous Angels books as a young adult, and adored revisiting it for our podcast.

    Illustration by Jill Lydon

    Weetzie, her boyfriend Secret Agent Lover Man, her best friend Dirk and his partner Duck, and babies Cherokee and Witch Baby, make a beautiful if unconventional family. Toward the end of the novel, after ups and downs and all being said and done, there is a lovely dinner scene with everyone around a table, with Weetzie feeling perfectly content with her chosen family.

    And what’s the dish? Linguine with Clam Sauce, a classic family dinner. I believe on the podcast I said old school, because it feels like in the days before carb aversion and when Italian was “exotic,” everyone’s idea of a fancy dinner was pasta. (But isn’t classic a classier way to say that?) It’s elegantly simple, exactly the type of thing My Secret Agent Lover Man would be making. It’s the type of food that makes you feel warm and safe, surrounded by the people you love, comfort food with style – because Weetzie never does anything without style.

    Linguine with Clam Sauce

    Adapted from Anne Burrell’s Linguine with White Clam Sauce

    • 1 pound clams (I used steamer, next time will probably use littleneck)
    • 1 pound linguini
    • sea salt or kosher salt
    • 3 tablespoons olive oil
    • 5 cloves garlic, sliced
    • Good pinch red chili flakes
    • 1/2 cup dry white wine
    • 2 tablespoons butter
    • handful finely chopped parsley, grated parmesan, olive oil and lemon wedges for garnish

    Clean your clams well. I have heard if you soak them in a bowl in the fridge with a couple spoonfuls of flour it will help get all the grit out – I don’t think this is true? But I tried it anyway.

    Heat a pot of well-salted water, and cook your linguine to even less than al dente (it will finish in the sauce). If you are some sort of time wizard, you can try to coordinate finishing cooking your linguini with finishing your sauce, so you can directly transfer it to the pot, but I just reserve a mugful of the starchy cooking liquid before draining the pasta. Don’t rinse, the starch will help the sauce stick to the pasta.

    Meanwhile, rinse your clams and have them ready. In a pot with a cover (or a wok, as I did), heat olive oil on medium high and add garlic. Cook for a few minutes, stirring, until garlic is golden (being careful not to burn). Add white wine and another half cup of water and bring to a boil. Throw in your clams and cover the pot or wok.

    After two minutes they should be steamed open – remove clams and reduce liquid to more than half. Reduce heat to medium and add in the butter and stir to make a silky sauce. Using tongs or forks, toss your pasta in the sauce, adding some of the reserved cooking liquid if necessary. When the linguine is thoroughly coated and cooked, transfer to a large plate, arrange the clams around the edge, and top with finely chopped parsley, grated parmesan, and drizzles of olive oil. Serve with lemon wedges.

    Recipe for Fiction Kitchen Episode 15: WEETZIE BAT in which Diana and Carrie discuss the slinkster cool world of Weetzie Bat by Francesca Lia Block, including classic LA eateries, ubiquitous avocados, “fancy” family meals, questionable burrito contents, and strawberry sundaes with marshmallow topping.

  • Olive Oil Braised Veggies

    I am a prolific veggie roaster. After sweeping in from work, before I’ve even taken off my heels I’ve got the oven heated and chopped veggies with little more than olive oil, sea salt and fresh cracked pepper on their way in. It’s hard to beat from a time standpoint, and there’s something to be said for keeping it simple and just letting your veggies do the talking.

    But to elevate my veggie game just a little bit, there’s this braising method – still refreshingly simple, just dressed up a little bit. There’s something so nice about the fresh cleanness of the veggies, gently cooked to maintain their shape and color, with the richness of the immensely flavorful olive oil. It makes for a pretty side dish, perfect to be mopped up with crusty bread, or even a light meal over rice or quinoa.

    It works for all kinds of vegetables, you just add them in the order of cooking time. I used baby red potatoes, carrots, and asparagus, but you can swap them out for whatever you like, just add the longer-cooking ones first. I love this combination of aromatics but you can play around with them as well depending on taste and what you have around in the kitchen.

    Olive Oil Braised Veggies

    • 1/2 cup olive oil
    • 1 lemon, cut into thin wedges (divided)
    • 1/4 cup sundried tomatoes, cut into strips
    • 3-4 cloves garlic, peeled
    • good pinch red chili flakes
    • sprig of rosemary
    • salt & pepper
    • 1 pound baby red potatoes (cut the larger ones in half)
    • 2-3 shallots, quartered
    • 2-3 carrots, peeled and cut into medium sized sticks
    • 1 bunch asparagus, trimmed

    Heat olive oil on medium high. Add a quarter of the lemon wedges (save the rest for serving), and allow them to slightly brown. Add sundried tomatoes, garlic cloves, red pepper flakes and rosemary, and stir for just a minute. Lower heat to medium low and add the new potatoes, shallots, and a good sprinkle of salt and pepper. Stir to coat with the oil and cook for about 20 minutes. Add carrots, stir gently to coat, and cook covered for another 20 minutes. Check to see that veggies are fork-tender but not falling apart. Add asparagus, again stir gently to coat, and cook covered for 7-10 minutes until asparagus is just done.

    Remove from heat and serve with lemon wedges, a sprinkle of parsley or basil if you want, and either with crusty bread or over rice or quinoa. Make sure to get some of the yummy olive oil on top!

  • Spring Ribollita

    Spring Ribollita

    I have a well documented love of peasant food (see Castilian garlic soup, and over on our Fiction Kitchen podcast site, Cinderella cassoulet), so of course I adore ribollita which is essentially bean and bread soup. I love foods that are humble and rustic (not to mention cheap), yet with something so elegant in their simplicity.

    spring-ribollita

    Although ribollita is typical winter comfort food, this version is completely appropriate for cool and sometimes rainy spring days. It makes use of spring produce like leeks and sweet peas and is just a little brothier and greener than it’s hearty winter counterpart.

    Spring Ribollita

    • 3 tablespoons olive oil + more for garnish
    • 2 medium leeks (white parts only), sliced into half moons
    • 2 stalks celery, sliced into half moons
    • 4 cloves garlic, grated
    • salt and pepper
    • pinch red chili flakes
    • 2 teaspoons paprika
    • 1 1/2 tablespoons tomato paste
    • 2 cans cannelini beans, drained and rinsed
    • 1 large or 2 small carrots, peeled and sliced into half moons
    • handful fresh or frozen sweet peas
    • 1 tablespoon Herbs de Provence (or just use a mixture of what you have on hand, herbs like thyme, rosemary, oregano, etc.)
    • 3-4 slices stale bread torn into chunks (or if it’s fresh, you can just toast it)
    • olive oil, chopped fresh basil, and freshly grated parmesan cheese for garnish

    Heat oil in a soup pot on medium, and saute leeks, celery, and garlic with a good sprinkle of salt and pepper until the leeks are very soft and translucent. Add red chili flakes, paprika, and tomato paste and cook for another minute or two. Add beans, carrots, peas, Herbs de Provence, and 4 cups of water.

    Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer. Simmer, covered, for 20 minutes or so until the carrots are soft. Stir torn bread into the soup, and serve hot, garnished with a good drizzle of olive oil, chopped basil, and lots of fresh grated parm.