Why “In-Your-Face” Isn’t Always an Insult

And a recipe for Crazy Crispy Spaghetti with Broccolini, Crème Fraîche, Lots of Lemon, and Borderline Burnt Pecans

After launching NOODLE last week, the unrealized gambler in me felt a thrill every time my inbox ding’ed to indicate a new subscriber. As far as I was concerned, I was strolling like a winner through the floor of a casino, soundtracked with its bells and bings, riding the high.

In truth, I’m no gambler. Horror crescendos in my gut when I’m offered a seat at a blackjack table with stakes higher than $5 a hand. But being the wingwoman to a friend recklessly risking it all on red while double-fisting complimentary vodka sodas? I’m there. Raging. Recklessly. Last one at the party. It’s the only scenario (somewhat) in which I’ll willfully saddle up to a round of roulette, poker, or craps: side-kicking it next to someone with a stomach lining more fortified than mine. 

So imagine my thrill as the “pings!” rolled in. Without having to step foot onto a gnarly casino carpet, I was playing with the playahs. Piling the chips high. Getting that rush of the win. And I have all of you to thank for sparing me the plane ride to Vegas. Last week’s launch blew me away and I’m humbled by all of the support. I am so very grateful for everyone who has jumped on train NOODLE. Truly, jackpot-level excitement.

And while we’re on the topic of a Jackpot…

My cat, Jackpot, who still hasn’t subscribed.

The gamble

For newsletter #2, it wasn’t necessarily clear which recipe I should feature and go all-in on. Stakes are high! Sophomore album vibes! I’ve got all of these new subscribers I’m jonesing to feed. I want to keep you all stimulated and excited and inspired to cook!

Next week, Plinko!

So I started thinking about how I want the rollout of The Second Recipe to kind of feel like a showcase showdown during an episode of the Price Is Right, in which both prize packages offer comparable, equally enticing hauls. If you scored a Lazy Boy, a jacuzzi, and a Mustang last week, here’s hoping that this week you take home a Grandfather clock, a jet ski, and a Camero.

And with that…

A noodle recipe on NOODLE?! At least I waited until the second newsletter.

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WHAT WE GOT WHAT WE GOT: In-Your-Face Crispy Skillet Spaghetti with Broccolini, Crème Fraîche, Lots of Lemon, and Borderline Burnt Pecans

Here’s the crux of the matter, in addition to the fact that this recipe title is way too long and I’m about to use two colons in the same sentence: We humans LOVE a crunched-up carb: caramelized, toasty edges of lasagna; socarrat, the crispy, salivary gland-inducing bits of rice on the bottom of paella; and uncooked ramen noodles straight outta the bag (yes, it’s a thing). Or frico! (SURROUNDING A BISCUIT!) 

Even better, this recipe is quicker than making homemade lasagna and cheaper than whipping up a skillet of paella (hello, saffron). By all means, if you’re looking for a time saver, crack open that pack of ramen and return to this recipe when you’ve realized that you’re still hungry. 

The crisping technique herein is one that you can use over and over again, with say… 85% of pasta recipes. The oiled-up noodles toast and crackle in a pan and then pile high in serving bowls, as if prompting a “hey look at me” reaction from the human who’s about to chow down. In Your Face, indeed.

Don’t expect a typical bowl of Barilla. This one’s a little dramatic both in presentation and the playful manner in which each bite hits the palate and crunches in the molars. Drop a comment if you crack a crown as you eat, ok? Just curious. 

The superlative green

Enough about the carb component. Let’s talk about my favorite* vegetable: the versatile, the lip-smackingly green, the humble yet elevated… broccolini. In this application, the broccolini is cooked minimally, so expect a yield of tender but crunchy stalks and sprightly florets that soak up the elements like only broccolini can. Once the crème fraîche’d up sauce enters the labyrinth of those unburst buds of broc, there’s no escaping its creamy, cheesy, and lemony slick.

And maybe best of all re: broccolini: after years of struggle, spellcheck– at long last!– finally recognizes the word, so I never have to remember if there are two c’s or two l’s. Never! 

A moment of appreciation

Crème fraîche really has my heart in dishes like this, and I’ll tell you why. LEMON JUICE WON’T CURDLE IT. Don’t be scared when you add the acidifying agent so famous for turning milk to buttermilk and creamy tea to curds. Here, crème fraîche is a welcome, rule-breaking emulsifier, bridging the gap between lemon and cream. Thank you, crème fraîche! And thank you, Allison Hooper of Vermont Butter & Cheese, for making this cultured cream for the first time in the States back in ‘85, thus propelling its ubiquity and popularity. 

Fear not, trust NOODLE

NOODLE’s tagline is “for cooks and non-cooks who wanna cook like cooks.” You wanna cook like a cook? Time to take your pecan toasting to the edge, and fearlessly: long enough that you can smell the roasty-toastiness one room over, but not so long as to set off your smoke alarm. Borderline burnt pecans taste like an entirely different nut: more intense, less fatty, more savory, less sweet. 

Raw, Toasted, Borderline Burnt (aka: Yum, Yummy, Most Yummest)

Leveling up the lemon

The final and seriously vital cook-like-a-cook tip that I really hope you won’t forgo? When it comes to incorporating lemon zest in the recipe, use a vegetable peeler to peel the lemon rind in strips, and dice with a knife.

3 step program: strips into sticks into dice

Traditionally, when zesting with a microplane, you receive lemon’s essential oils solely through mere gratings of fluff. I employ this method often, but there’s a time and a place to switch it up. And this is it: when you dice lemon rind, you’ll ultimately chew into actual, toothy pieces of zest that deliver a concentrated, textural punch, which is precisely what these level’ed up noodles need.

IMAGE 1: Fluffy Essence (microplaned zest) vs. Hefty Flavor (diced peel); color difference is intentional: Meyer lemon microplaned, Eureka (standard) lemon diced. IMAGE 2: YES this is how much lemon zest this pasta can handle. Whitney approves.

And because I make random discoveries while noodling: the duller the vegetable peeler, the more surface-level shave of the lemon you will get, removing only the lemon peel (the good stuff), and none of the bitter white pith (the not good stuff).

My trusty blue peeler has been around the block. Its dull blade leaves all the white pith behind. The yellow peeler is brand-spanking new, shaving off the peel AND the pith.

So that’s a little peek into the recipe, and below, you can find it in the flesh. It’s no Bob Barker-endorsed Aculpoco vacation or a luxury RV, but you don’t have to wear an oversized name tag, and I promise it will be much more delicious.

*In truth, I have two favorite vegetables. Please don’t tell the broccolini.

In Your Face Crispy Skillet Spaghetti With Brocollini, Creme Fraiche, Lots Of Lemon, And Borderline Burnt Pecans

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In-Your-Face Crispy Skillet Spaghetti with Broccolini, Crème Fraîche, Lots of Lemon, and Borderline Burnt Pecans

Serves 4

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 

4 ounces pecan halves (about 1 cup)

8 ounces (½ pound) spaghetti 

5 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1-2 lemons

⅔ cup crème fraîche

8 ounces (6-8 medium) shallots, peeled and thinly sliced (about 1 ½ heaping cups)

8 ounces (1 large bunch) broccolini, stems peeled if tough, cut into 1- to 2-inch pieces (florets left hole, halved vertically into bite-sized pieces if large) 

Leaves from 6 large sprigs thyme (if stems are tender, you can just finely chop the whole sprigs) 

1 ounce (⅓ cup lightly packed) freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus more for serving

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and season with 2 tablespoons of salt. 

2. Place pecans on a rimmed baking sheet and transfer to the oven. Toast, shaking pan once or twice, until very deeply golden brown, 12-16 minutes. That’s right, toast the pecans several minutes longer than you’d think. This is the whole “borderline burnt” element. Trust! When cool, roughly chop, keeping most pieces quite large. (You can also just crush with your hands.)

3. As the pecans toast, get the pasta cooking: Add spaghetti to the boiling water, adjust heat to maintain a steady boil, and cook, stirring occasionally, until just shy of al dente, about 1-2 minutes less than package instructions. Drain the noodles, reserving about ½ cup pasta water. Return pasta to the pot over medium heat, tossing with tongs for 30-60 seconds, until dry and any lingering moisture on the strands has evaporated. (The drier the noodles the easier they’ll crisp.) Remove from the heat and drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Toss to coat. 

4. Peel the zest off of one lemon in long strips. If a lot of the bitter white pith comes off with the peel, use a small spoon to scrape and remove as much of the pith as you can from the underside. Thinly slice the strips lengthwise into matchsticks, gather the bundle, and slice crosswise, into a fine dice. Set aside for serving. (Can you just zest the lemon with a microplane? Of course! But in my opinion, this dish really sings if you take an extra minute to dice the zest.) 

5. Squeeze 3 tablespoons lemon juice and add to a small bowl, along with the crème fraîche and 2 tablespoons of reserved pasta water. Whisk to combine and season generously with salt and pepper. Set aside.

6. Warm the largest skillet you have– preferably nonstick– over high heat. (If not using nonstick, preheat the skillet for a full 90 seconds over high heat before proceeding, to prevent sticking.) Add 2 tablespoons olive oil and the noodles and toss to coat. (If your nonstick isn’t at least 12-inches, you may have to do this in 2 batches, so as not to overcrowd the pan. Replenish olive oil between batches.) Spread the noodles in an even layer and let crisp, tossing with tongs only every 1 ½ to 2 minutes, until a portion of the noodles are deeply golden, about 10-12 minutes total.

50%(ish) crisp

You’re looking for crispiness in a solid 50% of the noodles; variation here is what you want! (If you’re finding that the noodles aren’t crisping, you’re likely moving them too much in the pan.) Taste and season generously with salt and pepper. 

7. Transfer the noodles to the largest bowl you’ve got, or even back to your pasta pot. Choose what will give you the most amount of room to toss the noodles with the sauce you’re about to make.

8. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the skillet and reduce heat to medium-high. Add shallots, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring, until shallots are softened and golden in spots, 2-3 minutes. Add broccolini and thyme, season, and drizzle with the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Cook until just crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Scrape crème fraîche mixture into the skillet, reduce heat to low, and toss to coat. Cook 30 seconds, until sauce is simmering vigorously, and immediately remove from the heat. Add the Parmigiano-Reggiano and fold to combine. 

9. Transfer contents of the skillet to the bowl with the noodles along with the reserved lemon zest, and gently toss to coat, being mindful to keep the noodles as intact as possible. If sauce needs to be loosened in order to coat the spaghetti sufficiently, add 1 to 2 more tablespoons of pasta water. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and/or additional lemon juice. Divide among serving bowls and top with pecans and additional parm. Eat immediately.