$24 Spaghetti?!

Would you pay $24 for spaghetti?!  Apparently thousands already do at Scott Conant's NYC restaurant Scarpetta (Italian for "Little Shoe").  I have to admit, I was a little skeptical once I heard the price... I make spaghetti dishes for under a couple bucks... what makes this spaghetti so special?!

Once you look at the recipe below, you may notice there is a tad more to it than your normal spaghetti-o's:

Spaghetti with Fresh Tomato Sauce and Basil
Makes 4 servings

• About 20 ripe plum tomatoes
• About 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more to finish the dish
• Pinch of crushed red pepper
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 ounce freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (about 1/2 cup) 
• 6 to 8 fresh basil leaves, well washed and dried, stacked and rolled into a cylinder and cut thinly crosswise into a chiffonade
• 1 pound spaghetti, either high-quality dry or homemade

To peel the tomatoes: Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Have a large bowl of ice water nearby. Cut a small X on the bottom of each tomato. Ease about five tomatoes in the pot and cook, let boil for about 15 seconds, and then promptly move them to the waiting ice water. (Repeat this with the remaining tomatoes.) Pull off the skin with the tip of a paring knife. If the skin sticks, try a vegetable peeler, using a gentle sawing motion. Cut the tomatoes in half and use your finger to flick out the seeds.

To cook the tomatoes: In a wide pan, heat the 1/3 cup of olive oil over medium-high heat until quite hot. Add the tomatoes, red pepper flakes, and season lightly with the salt and pepper. (I always start with a light hand with the salt and pepper because as the tomatoes reduce, the salt will become concentrated.) Let the tomatoes cook for a few minutes to soften. Then, using a potato masher, chop the tomatoes finely. Cook the tomatoes for 20 to 25 minutes, until the tomatoes are tender and the sauce has thickened. (You can make the sauce, which yields about 3 cups, ahead of time. Refrigerate it for up to 2 days or freeze it for longer storage.)

To serve: Bring a large pot of amply salted water to a boil. Cook the spaghetti until just shy of al dente. Reserve a little of the pasta cooking water. Add the pasta to the sauce and cook over medium-high heat, gently tossing the pasta and the sauce together with a couple of wooden spoons and a lot of exaggerated movement (you can even shake the pan) until the pasta is just tender and the sauce, if any oil had separated from it, now looks cohesive. (If the sauce seems too thick, add a little pasta cooking liquid to adjust it.) Take the pan off of the heat and toss the butter, basil, and cheese with the pasta in the same manner (the pasta should take on an orange hue) and serve immediately.

We can't wait to try this recipe and let you know how it turns out!!!  Jessie has two of the Kitchen Aid homemade pasta maker attachments and so we will be making our spaghetti homemade!  Also, I gave out fresh basil plants as gifts at Jessie's bridal shower, so we'll have plenty of fresh basil to use!

Ryan and I are going to visit NYC in September and I am definitely going to put Scarpetta's on my list of places to go (if we have time in between all of the broadway plays :-P).  They also give you a complimentary bread basket that includes house-made focaccia, Sullivan Street Bakery filone and ciabatta, and a house-made stromboli with smoked mozzarella and salami (pictured below).  I can't wait!!!