The other day, Twitter user @jlieu exclaimed, "Excited to cook #LikeABoss 😁." The following day, she tweeted, "I tried an @epicurious recipe and it was a total fail 😞 #amateur #IllStickToEating."
Ouch. Sometimes things don't go as planned.
I got into food media because I want you (yes, all of you, even @jlieu—especially @jlieu) to enjoy cooking and to feel #LikeABoss in the kitchen. So when @jlieu displayed her dismay to all of the tweeting world, I reached out to help her troubleshoot.
The biggest problem, @jlieu said, was that the lemon–ricotta fettuccine she'd cooked had turned out "super dry 😕 not a whole lotta flavor 😞." She also noted that the ricotta seemed to be drying out the sauce. After listening to @jlieu's feedback and taking a look at the recipe, I have a few ideas about what might have gone wrong and some tips on how she can make the creamiest, most flavorful version of this dish the next time she tries it. (And I really hope there’s a next time!)
A salted pot is a happy pot
When cooking pasta, you want the water to taste like the sea. Ever jumped into the ocean and gotten a mouthful? Use that sense memory to find the balance. Taste the water to make sure it's right—just take a spoon and sip it like hot soup. Kosher salt is ideal for salting pasta water since it's inexpensive and has a pleasant flavor—important since it will be a major flavor component of the cooked noodles. This step ensures that your pasta is seasoned throughout, and not just from the sauce slicked on the outside of the noodles. Also, when the pasta is almost cooked to your liking, collect at least 1/2 cup of the cooking water in a glass measuring cup or mug—you'll use this starchy water to add body and moisture to the finished sauce.
Stop and ask yourself, "Is my boiling water pleasantly saline?"
It's not the cheese's fault
When making such a seemingly simple dish, good ingredients are key as their flavor will be more pronounced. And although @jlieu did use good whole-milk ricotta, as called for in the recipe, it bears mentioning that using lower-fat dairy products can mute the other ingredients in a dish. Since fat is a vital transporter of flavor, removing it can make all your work fall flat. In addition, low- and no-fat dairy often contains stabilizers that break down when blended or heated, which could result in a soupy sauce instead of a creamy one.
But @jlieu's problem wasn't a soupy sauce, it was a dry one—which brings us back to that pasta water. Once you've tossed together all of the components (pasta, zucchini, ricotta, and herbs), add 1/4 cup of the reserved pasta water and toss again. If the pasta still looks (and tastes) too dry, keep adding the starchy water, a little bit at a time, until the sauce is silky and as creamy as you would like it to be. If the pasta water is well-seasoned, it'll enhance the sauce instead of diluting it.
Finish with flair
Finally, taste the pasta before serving it. If it seems bland, chances are it just needs another hit of salt. You could also add additional punch by topping each plate with a hint of one of the ingredients in the dish—a couple of mint leaves, a sprinkling of chopped parsley, or a pinch of extra lemon zest. If you're craving a little more tang, you can finish with a few drops of lemon juice.
Most importantly: don't give up. Because while #IllStickToEating is a great life mantra, cooking #LikeABoss just takes a little bit of practice.
