Really Buttery Saffron Tagliatelle
Makes: 4 servings
- Salt
- 1 pound egg tagliatelle, such as Delverde
- 2 1/2cups chicken stock (or water)
- 1/2cup white wine
- 1 small onion, peeled and quartered
- 1 carrot, peeled and quartered
- 1 small rib celery, quartered
- 4 cloves garlic, smashed
- 1 large curl each lemon and orange zest
- 2 pinches saffron threads (about 30) plus more for garnishing
- 6 tablespoons butter
- 1 1/2teaspoons poppy seeds
- 1 cup freshly grated pecorino-romano
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil, alt it, add the pasta and cook until al dente. Drain, reserving a little of the pasta cooking water.
- while the pasta is working, in a large, deep skillet combine the stock (or water), wine, onion, carrot, celery, garlic, citrus zest and saffron; season lightly with salt if using stock, or more heavily if using water. Bring to a boil and let reduce very rapidly to 1 1/2 cups, 15 to 20 minutes. Strain and return to the pan. Stir in the butter to melt over low heat.
- Add the pasta, poppy seeds and some cheese to the sauce. Toss for 1 to 2 minutes to combine. Serve with the remaining cheese and garnish with a few extra threads of saffron.