Fried Penne

From The Silver Spoon Pasta

Reprinted with permission. The Silver Spoon Pasta. Phaidon Press. Copyright 2009.

• Prep Time: 5 minutes.
• Total Cooking Time: 10 minutes.
• Servings: 4.

This recipe is from The Silver Spoon Pasta (Phaidon Press, $39.95 hardcover with illustrations and color photographs). Throughout this cookbook the authors provide details about different kinds of pasta shapes and the best ways to cook and sauce each of them.  

Here penne is used.  Here is the authors' primer:

"These short, diagonally-cut tubes have a streamlined shape similar to a quill pen (penne means “quills” in Italian). Typical of the region of Calabria in southern Italy, but probably one of the most commonly used of all short pasta types, penne is chewy and substantial and can be “lisce” (smooth) or “rigate” (ridged) on the surface. If not specified in the recipe, you can use both types. Penne can also vary in size, and although it is typically ½ inch in diameter and about 2 inches long, it can also be mezze penne, which is half the size, or pennette, which is even smaller. Penne can be used with almost any ingredient and goes well with meat, fish, and vegetables. It also suits a variety of cooking methods, including frying and baking in oven-baked dishes such as Pasticcio."

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 12 ounces penne
• ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
• Salt and pepper

Directions

1. Melt the butter in a pan, add the onion, then add the penne.
2. Mix well to coat the pasta with butter, then pour in enough boiling water to cover. Add salt and cook until the penne is al dente, adding more boiling water if necessary.
3. Season with pepper, transfer to a warm serving dish, and sprinkle with the Parmesan.
4. Serve immediately.