Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Buttered Noodles with Saffron

Do you know about brown butter?  It's divine.  Just heat butter in a pan until it foams and then turns brown and then quick, get if off the burner before it scorches.  Pour it over any steamed vegetable (angels will sing).



Here, I made buttered pasta from my childhood memories.

Boil 12 ounces egg noodles al dente (I used semolina pasta because that's all I had and I didn't have the gumption to make my own noodles). 




Drain and set aside in serving dish, covered.  Melt 2-3 Tbs. butter in the empty pasta pot.  Add a pinch or two of saffron and salt to taste.  Stir and watch.  As soon as it turns caramel brown, turn off the heat, dump in a few tablespoons breadcrumbs, and the cooked pasta.  Mix thoroughly.  Return to serving dish, using a silicon scraper to get all the good stuff out the of the pot.



We ate our pasta with 7-Layer Salad.  Now, back in the day, the noodles and the salad both would have been side dishes to a meat, with probably bread or potatoes to boot.  I think it's thriftier and more balanced to have the simple, chewy noodles next to a complex, rich salad with great texture.



But I think that was the night we ate Peach Kuchen later on.
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7 comments:

  1. JanelleFebruary 2, 2011 at 9:39 AM

    Brown buttered noodles with saffron = a warm evening in my grandma's kitchen (except she used the teeny-tiny thin egg noodles that boil in a minute or two). Thanks for the memories!

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  2. LauraFebruary 2, 2011 at 11:46 AM

    Yum! That's a combination I have never tried, but it sounds delicious! My children's favorite go-to meal is buttered pasta with parmesan. I think saffron pasta would be a real treat!

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  3. BLD in MTFebruary 2, 2011 at 1:28 PM

    I did NOT know about brown butter! Thanks for enlightening me! Looks yummy!

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  4. UnknownFebruary 2, 2011 at 4:42 PM

    I'm going to make in tonight! Thanks for the inspiration : )

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  5. TracyFebruary 3, 2011 at 10:39 AM

    I'm impressed that it holds your husband over, but it sounds delicious. I've never cooked with saffron.

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  6. Christian - Modobject@HomeFebruary 3, 2011 at 10:58 AM

    Giada writes in her cookbook, "What ISN'T delicious when it's drowned in butter?!" Wouldn't brown butter be good over ravioli?

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  7. Kylie M.February 5, 2011 at 11:40 AM

    Sounds delicious. And what a sweet photo of your boys! Mom made that peach kuchen this week & shared it with me- yum.

    ReplyDelete

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