Stir-Fry Day-Old Pasta Like Fried Rice

Me friend Molly Baz's nas a recipe in her new book More is More (https://booklarder.com/products/more-is-more-get-loose-in-the-kitchen) for crispt oreccheitte. In her version, you cook pasta like normal then fry it in a skillet until crisp. I wondered what would happen if instead, you let the pasta sit in the fridge overnight, just like you would with fried rice, then fried it the next day.

It come out great and may be one of my new favorite ways to plan ahead for a quick meal. You just need to boil some pasta the day before, then drain and rinse it, and let it sit uncovered in the fridge until ready to go. The exterior dries off so you get really nice crispy bits with minimal stickin, and the centers full hydrate. This means the day of dinner, you only have a few minutes of actual cooking.

Serves 2 to 3

Ingredients:

1/2 pound dried orecchiette or other small pasta

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1/2 pound (200g) Italian sausage

3/4 pound (325g) broccoli or broccolini, cut into bite-sized pieces

1/2 pound (200g) onion, cut into 1/4-inch slivers

1/2 a shallot (about 40g) cut into slivers

a few garlic cloves, smashed or thinly sliced

pinch red pepper flakes

2 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup (120ml) dry white wine

1/2 cup (120ml) stock

1 tablespoon corn starch

Plenty of grated parmesan cheese

Haldful chopped fresh parsley or chives

A squeeze of lemon juice

Salt and pepper

Chili oil of your choice (I like a Ma La chile crisp)

1. Cook the pasta according to package directions, leaving it just shy of al dente. Drain thoroughly and rinse under cold running water. Toss with just enough oil to coat. Spread the pasta into a single layer on a large plate or tray and set in the fridge overnight.

2. The next day, heat a large wok over your hottest burner until lightly smoking. Add 1 tablespoon of oil and swirl to coat. Add the sausage and stir-fry until mostly cooked but still a little pink in spots, about 1 minute. Transfer to a bowl and set aside. Return wok to heat until lightly smoking. Add another tablespoon of oil and swirl to coat. Add the broccoli and a small splash of water. Stir-fry until tender-crisp, about 1 minute. Transfer to bowl with sausage.

3, Return the wok to the heat until lightly smoking. Add another tablespoon oil and swirl to coat. Add the onion and shallot and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly charred around the edges but still tender-crisp, about 1 minute. Add the garlic and pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Transfer everything to the bowl with the sausage and broccoli.

4. Return the wok to high heat until smoking. Add the pasta and butter and cook, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is crisp and charred in many spots and smells nice and toasty, about 3 minutes total. Return the sausage, broccoli, and onion mixture to the pan and toss to combine. Add the wine. In a small bowl, whisk the corn starch into the stock, then add it to the pan. Stir until everything is well-mixed and coated in a glassy sauce.

5. Remove from heat and toss in the parmesan, parsley, and squeeze of lemon juice. Toss well and season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to a serving bowl and drizzle with chile crisp. Serve immediately.