Eat Like a Celebrity

Last week, I had Cipriani’s Famous Pasta on my menu plan, and now for the background story.  Cipriani is a famous restaurant in New York City, known almost as much for the food they serve as much as their celebrity clientele.  Naomi Campbell, Sean Combs (or is it P. Diddy these days?), Cindy Crawford, Tyra Banks and many others have graced the restaurant’s threshold and dined on their rich entrees and desserts.

When I spied their simple recipe for pasta in an old issue of InTouch magazine, I ripped it out and it got added to my burgeoning to-try pile.  But recently, with Nicholas helping me clip and file recipes, it made it to the top … and that’s a good thing.  Super simple to make, this rich and creamy pasta dish became a favorite in the O’Malley household very quickly.  Nicholas positively hoover’d his plate down, and asked for it to be packed in his lunchbox the next day … and the day after that … and the dinner after that.  He outate everyone with this one, so besides the fact that it’s easy to make, it’s kid-approved too.

It calls for prosciutto or ham, but I substituted salami instead.  Once cooked in the butter, the salami’s saltiness comes out, and makes for a good prosciutto substitute, at least in this case.  Since Nicholas has been on a salami kick lately, I figured I’d score a few bonus points with him along the way. Although I needn’t have worried.

So although we may not all look like the celebrities eating this pasta at Cipriani’s, we can at least eat like them.   Dig in.

Hungry for more celebrity food?
Serious Eats has a great list of recipes from the celebrities themselves.
Although a different kind of celebrity, Almost Vegetarian has a recipe straight from the Peanuts gang.
Orangette gets inspired to bake up a dessert favored by computer celebrity Bill Gates and his family.

A year ago today… nothing.
Two years ago today… a spur-of-the-moment “recipe” from my mom.
Three years ago today… young love.

P.S.  Book #12.

Cipriani’s Famous Pasta
Recipe courtesy of InTouch magazine

3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup prosciutto or ham, cut into strips
3/4 lb cooked tagliolini
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup bechamel sauce (I used Mario Batali’s version here, but next time will use Rachael Ray’s version here instead)

Melt 1 tablespoon butter with ham in a large skillet over medium heat for 1 minute.  Mix in cooked pasta, 1 tablespoon butter and 1/4 cup cheese.  Place pasta mixture in oven-proof dish and stir in sauce, remaining tablespoon of butter and cheese.  Broil until golden.

Serves 4

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