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3. Drain the pasta and transfer it to the large serving bowl with the tomato mixture. Season with salt and pepper and mix well. If the pasta seems a little dry, add some of the reserved water. Serve immediately.

simple tomato sauce and spaghetti

SERVES 4 TO 6

The first thing I ever learned to cook was the pasta dish my grandmother taught me. It requires only four ingredients (not including the salt, pepper, and Parmesan). For years it was my staple recipe and I never revealed her secret: a stick of butter.

One

28-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes

1/2

cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

4

large fresh basil leaves

Salt and pepper to taste

1

pound spaghetti

1

cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1. Put the tomatoes in a medium sauté pan over medium heat. Use a potato masher to mash the tomatoes into coarse pieces. Add the butter and basil and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper.

2. Fill a large pot with plenty of water. Bring to a boil over high heat and add a small handful of salt. Add the pasta and cook until al dente, still slightly firm to the bite. Before draining the spaghetti, remove 1 cup of cooking water and reserve.

3. In a large bowl, toss the drained spaghetti with the sauce. Add some pasta water if the sauce is too dry, but don’t make it watery; the sauce should hug the noodles. Mix in generous amounts of Parmesan and serve.

fusilli with toasted walnuts, olives, capers, toasted bread crumbs, and pecorino

SERVES 6

My mom sent me this recipe. It sounded unusual, but it has become my favorite pasta dish of the moment. (Although my mother is German, she is obsessed with Italian food.) With a variety of flavors and textures, the dish tastes great served hot or at room temperature. It is not a saucy sauce, so you may want to add more olive oil at the end if the sauce is too dry.

1/3

cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil

1

cup coarsely chopped walnuts

2

garlic cloves

1/2

teaspoon red pepper flakes

1/2

cup plain dry bread crumbs

1/2

cup black olives, pitted and halved

2

tablespoons capers, drained

6 to 8

stems fresh flat-leaf parsley, stemmed and minced

1/2

cup finely grated Pecorino cheese

1

pound fusilli or farfalle pasta

Salt and pepper to taste

1. Heat a medium sauté pan over medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and then add the walnuts and garlic and cook, stirring constantly, for about 5 minutes, being careful not to let the walnuts blacken. Add the red pepper flakes and bread crumbs and cook, stirring, for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the olives and capers and remove from the heat. Add the parsley and Pecorino cheese. Set aside.

2. Fill a large pot with plenty of water. Bring to a boil over high heat and add a small handful of salt. Add the pasta and cook until al dente, still slightly firm to the bite. Drain the pasta.

3. In a large bowl mix together the pasta and the walnut mixture and stir well. Add the remaining 1/3 cup of olive oil to the pasta and mix well. Season with salt and pepper. If the pasta seems too dry, go ahead and add a little more olive oil.

glass noodle stir-fry

SERVES 6 TO 8

My mom, for someone who always said that cooking is a thankless job, cooks often. Her dishes taste wonderful. She may be a reluctant cook, but everything she prepares is a home run, including her noodle stir-fry. Her version is quite simple, but I’ve added a few more vegetables for color and variety. I like mung bean noodles for their clear, glasslike quality and their ability to hold their shape, but in a pinch you can substitute rice noodles, which are opaque. They are both readily available.

Heat the sesame oil in a wok or a large sauté pan over high heat. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add the shiitakes, snap peas, and carrots and cook until the shiitakes are soft, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the noodles, soy sauce, and toasted sesame oil and cook for