Pasta e Patate

📝 Ingredients

• 320 g mixed dried pasta (odds and ends of packets)
• 600 g potatoes (4 medium, about 150 g each)
• 1 brown onion (about 150 g) + 1 carrot (about 120 g)
• 2 tbsp tomato purée (about 35 g)
• 1 tsp dried rosemary
• 1 vegetable stock cube + 1200 ml hot water
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 60 g grated Parmesan (40 g in the pan, 20 g for serving)
• Salt, black pepper

🍴 Utensils

• Large heavy-based saucepan
• Peeler
• Cutting board and knife
• Wooden spoon
• Ladle

📖 Steps

1. Peel the potatoes and cut them into roughly 1 cm dice. Finely chop the onion and carrot. If the pasta includes spaghetti or tagliatelle, break them into 3 to 4 cm pieces so they cook like the small shapes.
2. Dissolve the stock cube in the 1200 ml hot water. Heat the olive oil in the saucepan over medium heat and fry the onion and carrot for 6 to 8 min, stirring, until soft and translucent, without browning.
3. Add the tomato purée and the rosemary, crumbled between your fingers, then stir for 1 min so the purée cooks and flavours the oil. Add the diced potatoes and stir for another 2 min to coat them well.
4. Pour in about 800 ml hot stock, bring to a simmer and cook for 10 to 12 min over medium heat, half covered, until the potatoes are tender and starting to break up at the edges. Crush a few cubes against the side of the pan with the spoon.
5. Add the uncooked pasta directly to the pan with a ladleful of stock. Cook for 10 to 12 min over medium heat, uncovered, stirring very often like a risotto, and add more stock as soon as the bottom looks dry: the pasta should stay just submerged.
6. Taste a piece of pasta: when it's al dente and the mixture is thick and creamy from the starch, it's ready. If it's too runny, cook for 1 to 2 min more; too thick, add a little hot water. The bottom sticks easily: keep stirring right to the end.
7. Off the heat, add 40 g Parmesan and a good grind of pepper, stir vigorously, cover and leave to rest for 2 min so everything comes together. Taste before adding salt, as the stock and cheese are already salty. Serve in shallow bowls with the rest of the Parmesan.