Brown butter tahini on any noodle
Plus, a recipe for sizzled sage & olive beans with ricotta salata from Justine Cooks.
ICYMI, last week I chatted with Justine Doiron about the evolution of her style, where she gets inspiration, burnout, and her debut cookbook. Today, I have two recipes from the book that really highlight her style of cooking. They’re both simple yet luxurious, and work as a quick weeknight meal or as part of a bigger weekend spread. Enjoy!
Brown butter tahini on any noodle
Adapted from from Justine Cooks: A Cookbook
This recipe is essentially buttered noodles for adults (even though buttered noodles are also for adults but . . . you get what I mean). And if I’m going to flex how easy they are, they’re the same commitment as Kraft macaroni and cheese, give or take a noodle. Since tahini occasionally stiffens up if it sits too long, you’ll need to include a generous scoop (or two) of pasta water to keep things smooth and saucy. And while it’s always tempting to skip a garnish, a few sprigs of mint beautifully break up the richness of the nutty sauce.
Serves 4 (or 2 very hungry adults)
Diamond Crystal kosher salt
8 ounces pasta, such as pappardelle, cascatelli, reginetti, or your favorite pasta shape
4 tablespoons salted butter
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest (about ½ lemon)
½ teaspoon Aleppo pepper flakes, plus more for garnish
¼ cup tahini
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (about ½ lemon)
Torn fresh mint leaves, for garnish
Freshly ground black pepper
Set a large pot of water next to a large deep sauté pan on your stovetop—you’ll be working with both of these simultaneously.
Bring the pot of water to a boil and add 2 teaspoons salt. Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook until al dente, according to package directions.
Set the sauté pan over medium heat and add the butter. When the butter has melted and begins to brown slightly, around the 3-to 4-minute mark, add the lemon zest and Aleppo pepper and turn the heat to medium-low.
When the pasta is nearly ready, pour the tahini into the butter mixture and stir for a few seconds to combine. As soon as the pasta is ready, use a slotted spoon to transfer the pasta directly into the pan. Start by adding ½ cup pasta water to the pan and mix quickly to combine. Add the lemon juice and continue to stir. Taste and season with salt. Mix, continuing to add splashes of pasta water, until you get a smooth, glossy, tahini butter sauce.
Scoop the pasta onto a plate and garnish with the mint, black pepper, and a sprinkle of Aleppo pepper.
Sizzled sage & olive beans with ricotta salata
Adapted from from Justine Cooks: A Cookbook
Calling all olive heads—this one’s for you. My people-pleasing tendencies often steer me away from my hard-core, all-in obsession with olives, but with this quickly sizzled recipe, I caved. There’s something about fried sage mixed with Kalamata olives that feels so delightfully wrong and weird, that I fixate on how well it works. The briny earthiness of the olives meets the crispy, aromatic sage, and when you add tangy ricotta salata (a harder, saltier cheese that you can find in most specialty cheese sections), it all makes sense. So bring on the weird, bring on the olives, bring on the cheese. Olive heads, it’s time to party.
Serves 4 (or 1 very hungry adults)
Extra-virgin olive oil
⅓ cup fresh sage leaves
½ cup Kalamata olives, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, grated
½ cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, stems removed, leaves finely chopped
1 tablespoon Calabrian chili paste
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest (about 1 lemon)
2 (15-ounce) cans butter beans, drained and rinsed
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
Diamond Crystal kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
4 ounces ricotta salata, cut into thick square slices
Set a large pan over medium heat and add ⅓ cup olive oil. Let it heat up for 1 to 2 minutes, then add the sage leaves, letting them fry and sizzle until bright green and crisp, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer them to a paper towel to drain.
Add the olives and garlic to the pan and cook until the garlic is fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the parsley, chili paste, and lemon zest and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring often. Add the beans and swirl to coat them in the sauce, then let them “sizzle” in the oil, undisturbed, for 2 to 3 minutes. Turn off the heat and finish with the vinegar. Taste and season with salt and black pepper.
Crush in the sage leaves right before portioning into serving bowls. Top each bowl with a few slices of ricotta salata.
If you enjoyed these recipes and are interested in pre-ordering Justine’s book, you can do so here.
Reprinted with permission from Justine Cooks: A Cookbook Recipes (Mostly Plants) for Finding Your Way in the Kitchen by Justine Doiron. Copyright © 2024 by Justine Doiron. Photographs copyright © 2024 by Jim Henkens. Published by Clarkson Potter, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC, New York.
This was a success this evening with some butternut squash ravioli!
Finally found Tahini (hard to find where I live!) - gonna try this out!