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Kosher salt, to taste

1 lb. dried fettuccine

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into thin pats

3¼ cups finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Serves 4

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add pasta; cook, stirring occasionally, until pasta is al dente, about 8 minutes. Meanwhile, place butter pats on a large, warmed serving platter. Drain pasta, reserving ¾ cup pasta water, and place the pasta over the butter on the platterAtop left.

2. Sprinkle Parmigiano-Reggiano evenly over pastaB top right and drizzle with ¼ cup reserved pasta water. Using a large spoon and fork, gently toss the pasta with the butter and cheese, lifting and swirling the noodles and adding more pasta water as necessary to create a smooth sauceC bottom left. Work in any melted butter and cheese that pools around the edges of the platter. Continue mixing pasta until the cheese and butter have fully melted and the noodles are coated, about 3 minutes. (For a quicker preparation, bring the reserved 3/4 cup pasta water and the butter to a boil in a 12-inch skillet, and then add the pasta, sprinkle with the cheese, and toss with tongs over medium-low heat until the pasta is creamy and coated, about 2 minutes.)

3. Serve the fettuccine immediately on warmed platesD bottom right.

The Real Alfredo

How did fettuccine Alfredo become an American comfort-food staple? It all began in the early 1900s, when a Roman restaurateur named Alfredo di Lelio started serving a lavish version of fettuccine al burro, a homely dish of pasta tossed with nothing more than butter and Parmigiano-Reggiano. Di Lelio’s signature dish was prepared tableside (as pictured, in 1949); as the heat from the noodles melted the butter, the smiling and mustachioed di Lelio lifted and twirled the fettuccine with a gold fork and spoon, pausing to sprinkle in copious amounts of grated cheese. The dish and its creator became famous in Rome, but they were unknown outside of Italy until 1927, when George Rector, an American restaurant owner, writer, and bon vivant, sang their praises in his Saturday Evening Post column. Soon, celebrities like Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks were seeking out the dish, followed by a steady stream of tourists. In 1966, food packagers jumped on the trend: the Pennsylvania Dutch noodle company started marketing fettuccine with a recipe for Alfredo’s sauce, but it wasn’t exactly authentic, considering that it called for cream and Swiss cheese.

Orecchiette with Rapini and Goat Cheese

This dish is one of the best ways we know to use rapini (a.k.a. broccoli rabe) when it’s in season. Bright lemon zest, garlic, and red chile flakes play off the bitterness of the rapini and reveal its sweetness; soft, tangy goat cheese brings together the more piquant ingredients with the al dente pasta.

Kosher salt, to taste

1 bunch rapini (about 1 lb.), roughly chopped

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

6 cloves garlic, crushed

¾ tsp. crushed red chile flakes

12 oz. orecchiette pasta

2 tbsp. lemon zest

4 oz. goat cheese, softened

Serves 2–4

1. Bring an 8-qt. pot of salted water to a boil. Add rapini and boil until crisp-tender, about 4 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer rapini to a large bowl of ice water; chill. Drain rapini, pat dry, and set aside.

2. Heat oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 3 minutes. Add chile flakes and cook, stirring frequently, for 30 seconds. Add rapini, toss, and remove pan from heat; set aside.

3. Meanwhile, bring a 6-qt. pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente, about 10 minutes. Drain pasta and transfer pasta and lemon zest to reserved skillet over high heat. Toss to combine and season with salt. Divide pasta between bowls and add a dollop of goat cheese to each.

COOKING NOTE Boiling a vegetable such as broccoli rabe and then submerging it, or “shocking” it, in an icy water bath is called blanching. The technique does three things: it preserves the vibrant