New Year’s Eve Dinner … still fabulous even without the flame

Deb and I were wanting to make a fun, but low key dinner before going to a party to ring in the New Year with friends. I came across a recipe for Spaghetti alla Fiamma (flaming spaghetti) on one of the sites I follow, Bell’Alimento. Paula Jones’ recipe calls for spaghetti mixed with butter and cheese, topped with pancetta, peas, onion and the secret ingredient, brandy which you summarily light on fire. As she said, “dinner and a show”. Seemed like the perfect New Years Eve dish.

We weren’t able to get the fire going, but it was still a delicious meal that is now on our list of “Must Make Again Soon Dishes”.

Spaghetti alla Fiamma (Flaming Spaghetti)

Adapted from: Bell’Alimento

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup olive oil (cooking quality) [1]
• 1/4 pound pancetta, cut into small cubes [2]
• 1 onion, diced
• 1/2 tsp chili flakes
• 3 Tbsp fresh rosemary, minced
• 1 pound spaghetti [3]
• 2 cups frozen peas
• 1 oz brandy, divided in half
• 1 bouillon cube, crushed
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 1/2 cup parmesan, finely grated, divided in half
• 2 Tbsp olive oil (best quality)
• Salt and pepper

Directions

Put a big pot of water on to boil for the spaghetti.

Add cooking olive oil, pancetta, onion, chili flakes and rosemary to a large saute pan and cook over medium high heat until the pancetta is cooked and a little crispy.

When the pasta water boils, salt the water generously and add the spaghetti and cook according to package directions.

Stir the peas and half of the brandy into the saute pan. Sprinkle the bouillon cube over the mixture and add about a half cup to a cup of the pasta water. Stir to combine and let it all simmer over medium low heat for about 10 minutes until most of the liquid is evaporated and the sauce is beginning to look syrupy.

When the pasta is cooked al dente, drain and put it in a serving platter. Add the butter and half of the parmesan. Salt and pepper to taste. Toss well to coat the pasta with butter and cheese. Pour the pancetta pea sauce over the pasta.

Warm the remaining brandy and pour it over the pasta. Light with a long match, lighter or kitchen torch [4].

When the flames subside, drizzle the best quality olive oil over the spaghetti. Sprinkle the remaining parmesan over the dish. Toss and serve.

Notes

[1] I like to have two kinds of olive oil on hand, a good quality (but less expensive) brand like Whole Foods 365 or Trader Joes to use for cooking. Plus a very high quality (and usually expensive) brand to use for salads and for flavoring sauces. Our current favorite brand is Frantoia.
[2] Should be about 2-3 thick slices from the deli counter[3] I used Barilla Plus and it worked great[4] We tried to light the brandy several times and never could get it to work. I may try flaming the brandy while it’s still in the saucepan and pouring the flaming sauce over the pasta next time to see if I have better luck with that method.