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2. When the garlic has softened a bit, crush the tomatoes and add them along with their juice. Turn the heat to medium-low to maintain a steady simmer. If you are using a broad pot, cover it partially. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the meat is tender and just about falling off the bone, at least 1 hour.

3. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it. Cook the pasta until it is tender but firm. Remove the veal shank, scoop out any marrow, chop the meat coarsely, and return the meat to the sauce (discard the bone). Remove and discard the chiles.

4. Drain and sauce the pasta; sprinkle it with the herb, toss, and serve.

VARIATIONS

Pasta with Ribs

This is one of the best ways to use a small amount of meat in a highly satisfying way. Substitute 6 to 8 meaty spareribs for the veal shank (you can even use a couple more). The cooking time may be a little shorter. Serve the pasta topped with sauce along with a couple of ribs on the side.

• Carrots make a nice addition to this sauce; add about a cup, cut into chunks, along with the tomatoes. Some chopped onion won’t do any harm either.

ZITI WITH BUTTER, SAGE, AND PARMIGIANO-REGGIANO

MAKES 4 TO 6 SERVINGS

TIME: 30 MINUTES

THE FLOUR-ENRICHED water in which pasta has cooked is never going to be an essential component of fine cooking, and it seldom appears in recipes. Yet from its origins as a cost-free, effortless substitute for stock, olive oil, butter, cream, or other occasionally scarce or even precious ingredients, pasta-cooking water has become a convenient and zero-calorie addition to simple sauces.

When you compare a lightly creamy sauce like the one in this recipe to the highly flavorful and ever-popular Alfredo sauce of butter, cream, eggs, and cheese, the latter seems relatively heavy. Substituting water for much of the butter and all of the cream and eggs produces a sauce with a perfect balance of weight and flavor. The water lends a moist quality, not unlike that produced by tomatoes, as opposed to the slickness contributed by straight fat.

This is best as a starter, not a main course, but it’s still pretty rich. I would stick with a light fish preparation to follow, even a big salad.

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 pound ziti, penne, or other cut pasta

2 tablespoons butter

30 fresh sage leaves

About 1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it. Cook the pasta until it is tender but a little short of the point at which you want to eat it.

2. Meanwhile, put the butter in a skillet or saucepan large enough to hold the cooked pasta; turn the heat to medium and add the sage. Cook until the butter turns nut-brown and the sage shrivels, then turn the heat down to a minimum.

3. When the pasta is just about done, scoop out a cupful of the cooking water. Drain the pasta, immediately add it to the butter-sage mixture, and raise the heat to medium. Add ½ cup of the water and stir; the mixture will be loose and a little soupy. Cook for about 30 seconds, or until some of the water is absorbed and the pasta is perfectly done.

4. Stir in the cheese; the sauce will become creamy. Thin it with a little more water if necessary, season liberally with pepper and salt to taste, and serve immediately, passing more cheese at the table if you like.

VARIATIONS

• Try fresh parsley, thyme, chervil, or other green herbs in place of sage.

• Cook ¼ to ½ cup minced shallot or onion in the butter, just until translucent.

• Toast ½ cup bread crumbs or chopped nuts in the butter, just until lightly browned.

• Substitute extra virgin olive oil for some or all of the butter. The result will be good if not as creamy.

PASTA WITH POTATOES

MAKES AT LEAST 8 SERVINGS

TIME: 1 HOUR

THIS IS ABOUT as unlikely a dish as I’ve ever come across, a soupy combination containing little more than the two main ingredients and canned tomatoes. Not only does the thought of it tweak the mind—doesn’t this sound something like a bread sandwich?—but it counters