Words and Photos Theodora Hurustiati

Considering Italians’ love for pasta, a foodie friend once asked me if instant pastas exist in Italy – just like in Asia we have packaged instant noodles to fulfill our starch craving within 5 minutes. I never thought of it until then, but actually, no, there’s no such thing. I guess it’s because a large percentage of the population - both women and men - actually knows how to cook and there are many pasta dishes that only need few ingredients and take less than 15 minutes to prepare - from start to finish. So, it’s not really necessary to run to instant food for salvation.

The key in saving time is to prepare the sauce while the pasta is cooking. Of course we also have to be a little savvy and put 1 to 2 - not 5 - liters of water to boil if we’re only cooking for two people! These “instant” pasta recipes are ideal for when we are pressed for time and our stomach is already growling for food!

Farfalle alla crudaiola

Farfalle means butterflies and crudaiola is - basically - “the raw way”. The ingredients are pretty much those of the tomato and basil sauce - left uncooked. I recommend choosing the best pasta brand, the most fragrant basil and the sweetest tomatoes available as they are what will make the dish. Alright, include some chili peppers if you wish! This pasta is normally served warm, but it’s good also chilled as pasta salad.

serves 2

125g dried farfalle pasta

1 clove of garlic

100g cherry tomatoes

5g basil leaves

100g fresh mozzarella cheese (optional)

Extra virgin olive oil

Salt

• Slice garlic in halves and rub the cut side onto the inner part of a large bowl.

• Quarter the cherry tomatoes and place in the bowl. Tear the basil leaves with the tips of your fingers. Mix into the tomatoes. Season with salt and extra virgin olive oil.

• Cook the pasta in boiling salted water according to the instructions written on the package. It usually takes about 8 to 10 minutes.

• Drain the pasta from its cooking liquid. Pour into the bowl and toss to coat the pasta with the tomato “sauce”.

• Tear the mozzarella cheese into small pieces. Combine into the pasta once it’s slightly cooled or it will melt too much.

Tagliolini al Limone

This dish might take even less than 15 minutes to prepare as egg pasta needs only a few minutes to cook. Although it’s non-traditional, feel free to add some grated Parmesan cheese or maybe few bits of smoked salmon for a fancier touch. Tagliolini are small “threads” of pasta, about 2-3 millimeters thin, pretty much the size of Asian egg noodles. Substitute with the wider tagliatelle or finer taglierini if you can’t find them.

serves 2

125g dried egg tagliolini

1 organic lemon

10g parsley

30g extra virgin olive oil

20g butter

Salt

• Finely chop parsley. Finely grate lemon zest, without including the bitter white rind.

• Place butter, oil and lemon zest in a pan. Cook over a low heat until butter is just melted.

• Boil pasta in salted water according to the instructions written on the package – usually for a couple of minutes.

• Save about 100 milliliters of the cooking liquid and drain the rest.

• Insert pasta in the pan with the remaining cooking liquid.

• Add parsley and few drops of lemon juice. Toss to coat the pasta with the lemony oil.

• Serve immediately while it’s hot.