Cooking dried pasta like risotto

[silentbob]

I recently caught an episode of America's Best Chefs where Alain Ducasse made a pasta dish by cooking some dried pasta in a pan, then gradually adding stock and stirring as one would do with risotto.

This technique seems awfully intriguing to me. Unfortunately, the show was vague about details (cooking time, amount of stock added). Anyone have tips on what types of pasta would work best, and how much stock should be ladled in each time? Better yet, any recipes would be greatly appreciated.

[eunny jang]

I would think that you would just first stir the dry pasta in oil/butter in a pan, then add a ladleful of hot stock, stir till absorbed, and keep going until the pasta was done to your liking.

But I'm confused as to why one would do this: isn't the whole point of going through the laborious add stock-stir-add stock-stir process of making risotto to coax the starch in the rice into becoming that silky glaze in the finished dish? Would dry seminola act the same way?

It seems like a lot of labor.

[Rachel Perlow]

I think I've seen that one, you use orzo, and it come out similarly to risotto.

[Adam Balic]

Haven't seen the show, but I imagine it would be similar to the idea of fideus and related pasta. Cooking it as like risotto would give you more control over dish maybe. Think I might try this with orzo, I really like the nutty flavour that you get from browning the pasta in oil first.

[Squeat Mungry]

Yes, I do this with orzo. Sorry, I don't have a recipe, but you do it exactly as you would risotto: toast the pasta in oil (it starts to 'click' just like the rice), then add the hot stock/liquid ladle by ladle, stirring in between until it is absorbed. Nice texture and flavor when done this way.

Cheers,

Squeat

[Jinmyo]

But don't try it with rigatoni.

[Adam Balic]

OK then it is basically the same technique as mentioned in the 12th C. Andalusian recipe collection. I wonder if Ducasse was aware of this or where he got the inspiration from.

[balmagowry]

I've also done it with broken spaghetti/angel hair. In fact, I've combined same with rice. Voilà - home-made Rice-a-Roni! with only thrice the effort, and it only tastes about ten times better. But the principle is the same. (Also goes to confirm that even the timing matches that of risotto.)

[Adam Balic]

I've also done it with broken spaghetti/angel hair.

“Fidawsh” = “Fideos/Fideus” = “Fidelanza/Fedelini”.

Every old is new again.

[Adam Balic]

One point, don't attempt this is egg pasta, turns to mush apparently.

[theakston]

I've done something like this: Arrossejat, a Catalan dish using sauteed angel hair pasta like a Paella:

Epicurious version.

[Adam Balic]

I've done something like this: Arrossejat, a Catalan dish using sauteed angel hair pasta like a Paella:

Epicurious version.

That would be Golden Fideos with Lobster? Also good with clams.

[mrbigjas]

I've also done it with broken spaghetti/angel hair. In fact, I've combined same with rice. Voilà - home-made Rice-a-Roni! with only thrice the effort, and it only tastes about ten times better. But the principle is the same. (Also goes to confirm that even the timing matches that of risotto.)

In my experience (using orzo) it goes more quickly than risotto--under 15 minutes as compared to the 20 or so for risotto.

[helenas]

When NYT published a series of articles on Ducasse, one of them was on so-called Olive Mill Pasta. At the time of the publication, the recipe was discussed quite extensively on eGullet. The origin of this dish can be also found in Wells' Cooking in Provence.

And here's a link to the recipe Olive Mill Pasta