Fry the Rest of the Pasta for a Crunchy Treat
My first thought after I ate a pile of leftover fried linguine was, “I need to do this more often.” Rice noodles in any form—soaked, fried, or added to soup—make up a large portion of my diet, but when I make semolina or durum wheat pasta, I tend to think of it as boiled or overcooked. It is nonsense. Italian pasta cooked in a pan opens up a whole new world of flavors and textures. Get yourself a box of spaghetti and let’s make a stir-fry.
While you can fry freshly cooked pasta, I prefer using leftovers. I always seem to cook way too much pasta for any dish, so leftovers are inevitable. Cooked pasta also dries out in the fridge, even if it’s covered, so getting a nice crispy crust in a pan of butter is much faster. The appeal of frying pasta lies in its unique texture. Wheat pasta absorbs water when you boil it, and when you fry it, the parts that come into contact with the pan lose water through evaporation and become crispy. The texture is not stiff like raw pasta, but carbonated by the accumulation and loss of water. It almost gives the feeling of crispy rice. Of course, you’re only doing a quick fry, so the other parts of the pasta stay soft and chewy, and that contrast of textures is pretty nice to eat.
Starting with dry pasta from the box, boil the desired amount of noodles as usual. Drain the pasta over the sink (or save your valuable pasta water ) and let the pasta dry for five to ten minutes. Whether you’re working with pasta left in the fridge or freshly cooked and drained, you’ll start by melting enough butter to cover the bottom of the pan. Once the butter has completely melted and starts bubbling, add the pasta. Leave the noodles in a saucepan over medium heat and let the oil do its thing. I had some ditalini left in the fridge, which at first seemed like a silly frying paste because it’s a silly little shape to begin with, but those little circles sat very well in my butter pan.
After about three to five minutes, you can shake the pan and see how browning occurs. When you see some color, add any vegetables, sauces, or seasonings you’d like to add. I completed my fried ditalini dance with cherry tomatoes, garlic powder, parmesan cheese and a fried egg ( because pasta is breakfast ).
You can effectively fry leftover Italian pasta in oil if you like, but I find it hard to resist the taste and color of toasted butter. Feeling left out because your leftovers already have sauce in them? This whole method can be replicated with pasta with sauce, although it works best with pasta with a light sauce. Add it to a pot of hot fat and the sauce will cook the noodles and caramelize on the exposed edges. Too much sauce and you just end up with a reheated version of dinner. To be honest, an egg would be delicious too.