J – A little bit of technique can do a lot for your cooking.
Most are not difficult … just a different way of achieving a result. For example, in this dish, we wanted a creamy sauce for the linguine We didn’t want to use actual cream, either. That would be too heavy.
The solution uses egg yolk, a little pasta water (or stock), the residual starch on the unrinsed linguine and some finely grated Parmesean cheese.
Done in the right order, this technique creates a light and creamy sauce for the linguine … without using another pan.
It is also very fast. About a minute or two right after draining the pasta.
The residual heat of the pasta and the turned-off burner will cook the egg yolk, mixed quickly with the hot water and pasta starch, to form a delicious sauce with the added Parmesean cheese.
There are many other ways to get a creamy, cheesy sauce … all of which, for me, either take way too much time or are just too heavy.
This technique extends to any pasta dish where you want just a bit of saucy/creamy texture and want it quickly. Cacio e Pepe is a variation, for example, using butter and no egg yolk.
| Plated Meal Wednesday: Linguine Pasta with Asparagus and Salt-Cured Egg Yolk |
- ½ pound asparagus, woody parts discarded, cut into 2 inch pieces on a bias
- 2 ounces linguine pasta
- 1 tsp canola oil
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 Tbsp shallot, minced
- 1 fresh egg yolk
- 1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated loosely packed, plus more for garnish
- ½ cup chicken or vegetable stock
- 1 cured egg yolk, for garnish (optional, recipe in link below)
- Chives for garnish
- A pinch of red pepper flakes for garnish
- Bring 8 quartz of water to a boil with a generous amount of salt. Blanch the asparagus for 1½ minutes. Remove from water and place in an ice bath to cool completely.
- Place the pasta into the same water as the asparagus. Cook according to package instructions. Our pasta took 9 to 11 minutes. Set a ¼ cup of pasta water aside for later use (it might not be needed).
- Meanwhile, in a saute pan, melt the butter along with a teaspoon of oil. Add the shallots and cook until translucent. Turn off heat and set the pan aside until pasta is done cooking.
- Once the pasta is done cooking, turn off the heat and drain the pasta. Do not rinse. Add the pasta back into the same pot.
- Place the pot back on the stove. Do not turn the heat back on. The residual heat will cook the remaining pasta ingredients. Add the yolk and mix well. Add the Parmesan cheese. Mix well. Add a few tablespoons of stock at a time and continue stirring. Make sure not to add too much liquid or the sauce will be runny. You want a thick creamy sauce. Set aside and let the sauce thicken.
- Turn the heat on the saute pan with the butter and shallots. Add the asparagus and heat it through. Add the pasta into the pan and mix well. If you need more Parmesan, grate it in.
- Place the pasta into a serving dish.
- Top with more grated Parmesan cheese, some grated cured egg yolk (optional), chives and red pepper flakes.
- Serve.
- Enjoy!
Salt-Cured Egg Yolk recipe
Taste test. We both absolutely loved it. Linguine with a light, creamy Parmesean sauce, still-crunchy asparagus and the salt-cured egg yolk overtop. Personally, I would skip the salt-cured egg yolk. Too much technique for me.
Easy and delicious. Totally worth making.