Odette Williams was 40 the first time she attempted handmade pasta. “I couldn’t believe that I, someone who had come to worship pasta so many nights of the week, had not done it myself,” she laughs. Now she’s celebrating this life milestone in her cookbook Simple Pasta, which releases at the end of this month.
You might scoff at the idea that someone who did not have a nonna showing her all the literal ropes of eggy pasta from birth could write a cookbook about the craft, but perhaps Williams is truly the best person to teach us-especially those of us who are intimidated by making it fresh. Afterall, she is proof that you don’t have to be the most experienced pasta maker to create something delicious and joyful.
In a world occupied with algorithms and social media aesthetics, Williams wants to circumvent the busyness and return to simplicity, which is what Simple Pasta is all about: good food, spending quality time with family, and finding a sense of accomplishment in the simple art of shaping dough, whether that be into bowties or angel hair strands.
“It’s so noisy out there right now, but I think doing simple things well is hard,” Williams explains. “It takes a lot of curation by the person-like with good design in furniture or architecture, it’s beautiful because it’s edited so well and gone through a process where everything that’s not necessary has been eliminated.”
Williams gravitates towards recipes that may be simple and approachable yet still refined and undoubtedly appetizing. Her philosophy when it comes to cooking is to use fresh ingredients and highlight their genuine, natural appeal. “Pasta is one of those rare foods where you can just add butter and salt and you’re already onto a good thing,” she muses, “so when there’s fresh produce involved, the sky’s kind of the limit.”
It’s why Simple Pasta is broken into four sections, each with a devoted menu perfect for the changing seasons and inspired by Williams’ love of blackboard menus. “I really want to help people figure out how to make pasta a meal, how to put the whole thing together,” she says. So while pasta is the star of the show, recipes for drinks, desserts, salads, and dips are also present. When a trip to Italy was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Williams instead escaped by making pasta, laying the foundation for a cookbook she had yet to know she was writing. “I always knew I wanted my second cookbook to be a savoury cookbook, but it was my editor who saw me making pasta on Instagram and commented, ‘Wow, you make it look so easy, you’re making pasta on a Wednesday night?'”
From there, the idea for Simple Pasta just clicked. Although Italy was far away, pasta was present. “Even if I couldn’t travel in my mind or imagination, pasta allowed me to escape in some way, to fantasize and treat myself.” Williams found herself sheltered on Fire Island with her family and friends, delighting in a summer of fresh pasta and wine. The manuscript and recipes for Simple Pasta just flowed.
Although the cookbook boasts simple recipes, that doesn’t mean Williams didn’t pore over her ingredients and technique. It just means that the recipes are forgiving, and the results will taste good, even if they weren’t executed to perfection. “It’s like a box cake, you know?” she says. “It’s really only adding wet to dry.”
That includes her recipe for vodka sauce, a classic staple that comes together quickly, especially if opting for store-bought pasta. “Vodka sauce is one of those things that people have often eaten, either through restaurants or supermarkets, but never made their own,” Williams says. “And once you make it, you’re going to go, ‘Oh my God, is that it?’ And you’ll never order it at a restaurant again.”
Just make sure you properly cook out the vodka, which Williams admits her daughter mistakenly did not do once-resulting in a bitter, boozy sauce.
For those scared to try their hand at making fresh pasta, Williams is encouraging. “Honestly, it’s so easy. And the other thing too is that it gives you so much pleasure, eating your own fresh pasta,” she says. But if you’re too intimidated, her recipes offer alternatives that include dry pasta. After all, the heart of the book is about simplicity.
“I am so, so grateful for just having had this experience with this delightful subject,” Williams says. “I think, ‘Well, if I had it, I hope someone else can have it, too.’ Because yes, it’s about pasta, but really it’s about pleasure, and finding our way in life.”
Directions: 1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil.
2. In a large heavy-bottomed frying pan over medium heat warm the olive oil. Add the shallot, garlic, and chile and sauté just until translucent, about 3 minutes.
3. Add the tomato paste to the pan and cook for another couple of minutes, then pour in the vodka and cook it off for a couple minutes more.
4. Add the cream to the pan and bring to a gentle simmer for a couple of minutes. Lower the heat and keep the sauce warm.
5. Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook until al dente, 2 to 3 minutes or according to package instructions if using store-bought. Using a large spider or slotted spoon, transfer the pasta into the warm sauce, along with ¼ cup of the pasta water, and toss to coat. Stir in the Parmigiano and basil, then season with the salt.
6. Serve the pasta topped with additional Parmigiano and small basil leaves.
Makes 4 to 6 servings (about 1½ pounds dough)
1. To bring the dough together using a machine: In a stand mixer fit- ted with the paddle attachment, on low speed, combine the flour, eggs, olive oil, and salt and mix until crumbly. If using a food processor, pulse together the flour, eggs, olive oil, and salt until the dough starts coming together. Incrementally, add 1 teaspoon water at a time until the dough becomes a craggy ball and there are barely any dry crumbs of flour remaining. (Some days, it’s 3 teaspoons; other days, it’s a little more. Just don’t add too much water, since the flour will continue to hydrate as the dough is kneaded by hand.
To bring the dough together by hand: Place the flour in the centre of a clean, dry, large, wooden work surface. Make a well with high walls, leaving some flour on the floor of the well. Add the eggs, olive oil, and salt to the well, then, using a fork and without bringing in any flour, gently beat the eggs and oil together until combined. Gradually start incorporating the flour from the inner walls into the egg mixture, whisking away any lumps as you work. Think of it as gradually making a smooth batter. When the dough starts to come together in a scraggly pile and the eggs aren’t runny anymore, use a bench scraper to fold the dough onto itself a few times, then use your hands to bring the dough into a mass. (You will most likely not need all the flour. However, if you did incorporate it all and the dough has become dry, add 1 teaspoon water at a time until you can bring it together into a ball.) Use the bench scraper to completely clean your work surface of any drying bits of dough. Wash and dry your hands before kneading.
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Kat Thompson is a senior staff writer of food & drink at Thrillist. Follow her on Twitter @katthompsonn.
If you’re a fan of the royal family (because “fan” is the more socially acceptable way of saying obsessive internet stalker), this is your year. Netflix’s The Crown has returned for its second season, the Duchess of Cambridge is pregnant with her third child, Prince George and Princess Charlotte continue to be the cutest heirs to ever walk the face of the earth, and Prince Harry has finally been wrangled from his former wild ways to marry Meghan Markle this spring. All of this royal family news has us in a tizzy, and we need a stiff drink to calm our excitement back down to inside voices. Thankfully, the royal family are drinking icons. Here are the favorite drinks of all the main figures of the new Elizabethan era, so you can properly drink along with all the upcoming royal festivities.
Much has been written about the Queen’s legendary drinking habits , with many articles claiming she drinks as many as six glasses of booze a day. Insiders have disputed this rumor, saying that she “would be pickled” if she drank that much, but we all know that the queen is a creature of habit, and probably does enjoy these drinks fairly regularly. Her all-time favorite cocktail is the Dubonnet Cocktail with a lemon twist, which is gin mixed with the sweet French fortified wine the drink is named for. Her staff always carries the two bottles and lemons wherever the queen goes in case she gets thirsty. Additionally, Queen Elizabeth II is said to drink wine with lunch, the occasional Dry Martini in the afternoon, a glass or two of Champagne with dinner, and some port wine after dinner. For someone that looks 91 years young, this monarch seems to know a thing or two about the secret to a long life .
While his wife loves her gin tipples and wine, the Duke of Edinburgh just fancies beer-and none of that fancy craft stuff. His lifelong favorite brand was Boddington, a regional brewery in Manchester. Unfortunately, the brewery ceased operations in 2005, forcing Prince Philip to drink other, still unassuming, beers. He is even said to have muttered, “Get me a beer. I don’t care what kind it is. Just get me a beer!” when he was offered fine wine by former Italian Prime Minister Giuliano Amato while dining in Rome.
The long awaiting king-to-be enjoys a wide variety of stiff drinks. His favorite whisky is a peaty Islay single malt, Laphroaig 15-year. Prince Charles also helped produce his own whisky, Barrogill ; HRH personally selected the single malts for the blend, which was distilled by Inver House Distillers and North Highland Products. The bottle features a watercolor of Barrogill Castle that was painted by Prince Charles himself. Additionally, Prince Charles is said to enjoy plenty of wine with his wife Camilla, along with his go-to cocktail, a 50/50 Martini made with equal parts gin and dry vermouth .
Prince William seems to take after his grandfather when it comes to drink preferences, opting for straightforward beers over cocktails or rare wines; His two favorite beer brands are said to be Stella Artois and Guinness, but he occasionally also enjoys shots of Sambuca. He didn’t always have such simple tastes, though. In his youth, the Duke of Cambridge was said to have ordered (on more than one occasion) the “Treasure Chest” from Piccadilly club Mahiki, which is a $180 cocktail consisting of brandy , peach liqueur and a bottle of Champagne, served in a smoking treasure chest with tons of extra-long straws, flowers and ignited sparklers.
Nowadays, you’ll find the Duchess of Cambridge publically drinking whatever is served at the many events she attends with her husband (when she’s not pregnant, of course), from Guinness at the St. Patrick’s Day parade in London to wine at a vineyard in New Zealand-where she exclaimed she was “really enjoying being able to drink again” after the birth of Prince George. But in her pre-duchess days, according to sources, Kate enjoyed fruity cocktails like Piña Coladas and the “Crack Baby,” which was served at Prince Harry’s favorite (now-defunct) nightclub, Boujis, and consisted of vodka , raspberry liqueur, passion fruit and Champagne. Rumor has it the future queen also still enjoys her go-to whiskey, Jack Daniel’s, from time to time.
The once infamous party boy may be settling into married life soon, but we reckon he’ll still enjoy his favorite drink, Cîroc Ultra-Premium Vodka , from time to time. Hopefully his bride-to-be Meghan will curb his questionable cocktail of choice, a Red Bull Vodka , and encourage him to try her far more interesting drinks of choice.
The name on the tip of everyone’s tongue this year is Meghan Markle, Prince Harry’s beautiful betrothed and an American former-actress to boot. Because Markle was famous prior to her engagement, she gave decidedly down-to-earth interviews, including one with The New Potato where she said, “God, do I love wine-a beautiful full red or a crisp white. But if it’s cocktails, I love a spicy tequila cocktail, Negroni or good scotch (neat).” Markle also named her former lifestyle website, The Tig , after Tignanello red wine. If that wasn’t enough to make her your new drinking hero, Markle also once told Delish , “French fries and vino are my vices,” going on to say that she’d “forgo a gooey, chocolate dessert for a ‘big, beautiful red’ just about any day. … In the summer, though, when I’m out with my friends, it’s rosé all day.” A future duchess after our own hearts.
The Duchess of Cornwall is said to be a big fan of wine, having once said she was “brought up as a child drinking wine like the French.” But Camilla was also rumored to have exasperatedly said, “I really need a Gin & Tonic ” after exiting a conversation with Prince William over the nature of her relationship with his father, Prince Charles, back in 1998.
Queen Elizabeth II gets her proclivity for Dubonnet from her mum. The late Queen Mother was much heavier a drinker than her husband King George VI, who didn’t imbibe much during wartime due to nationwide rations and his unfortunate love for cigarettes instead. Elizabeth would allegedly start at noon with a cocktail that was one part gin and two parts Dubonnet, garnished with a lemon or orange twist (some people actually refer to the Dubonnet Cocktail as the Queen Mother Cocktail). Then at lunch, she would drink red wine and a glass of port after the meal. A biographer wrote that if people asked for water, Elizabeth would ask, “How can you not have wine with your meal?” At around 6 p.m., the Queen Mother would enjoy a Martini , and at dinner she would have some Veuve Clicquot. Other drinking-related quotes attributed to her include: “I couldn’t get through all my engagements without a little something,” and, after being told by a host that they heard she liked gin, “I hadn’t realized I enjoyed that reputation. But as I do, perhaps you could make it a large one.”
Princess Margaret is enjoying a posthumous fan obsession, thanks to her fiery, scene-stealing portrayal in The Crown. The show never depicts Margaret without a cigarette in hand, but the princess loved scotch almost as dearly. Her favorite drinks were neat scotch with a drop of water and a Scotch & Soda , both made with The Famous Grouse and Highland Spring mineral water. Her staff instructed those within her circles to always keep bottles of both on hand, in case she stopped by for an informal visit. A staff member claimed that “if you didn’t serve Famous Grouse, she could identify exactly what was in its place.” Allegedly Princess Margaret even asked for the scotch while visiting The Macallan distillery in the 1980s. A decanter of The Famous Grouse was always present at Margaret’s apartment, and though she was “always a delight,” according to a friend , “there could be unpleasantness with staff if her glass wasn’t kept full or if the ice melted. That was one of her tiny weaknesses.” Today, the royal family continues to support the whisky brand; the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge opened The Famous Grouse Experience at the Glenturret distillery in 2014.
The late, beloved Princess of Wales wasn’t much for imbibing; she opted to skip the booze in favor of maintaining her iconic radiant skin. But when she did drink, she preferred something light, like chilled white wine, Champagne or a peachy Bellini. She is said to have ordered a Bellini on her infamous night out on the town with Freddie Mercury when she disguised herself as a man.