Quick and easy pastas

Years ago, I stayed with an Italian friend in Bologna who worked long hours at his job. By the time he got home, he was hungry, so he’d start water boiling and cast about his tiny kitchen to see what he could use for dinner. Then, to my fascination, he’d whip up a delicious pasta sauce from almost nothing: a few anchovies and some walnuts, or a can of tuna and another of beans. Yesterday’s bread became today’s bread crumbs, browned in olive oil with garlic and tossed with spaghetti, olives, capers and jarred tomato purée. Important to any home kitchen, I realized, is a varied pantry, a place where you can always pull together the essentials for a meal. These days, my pantry is more than just a cupboard. In the freezer, I keep peas and edamame, as well as nuts of all kinds and bread crumbs. In the refrigerator, I always have feta, goat cheese, Parmesan and often pecorino or another hard cheese. Lemons are helpful, too, as is flat-leaf parsley. These ingredients are particularly useful for pasta. As you’ll see this week, the sauces made with them take no more time than it takes to heat the pasta water. Pasta With Roasted Red Peppers and Goat Cheese I try to keep a jar of roasted peppers handy at all times. They’re useful for panini, pizzas and especially pastas like this one. Spanish piquillo peppers are particularly sweet, but bell peppers will do as well. If you have basil, it’s delicious in this dish — but not required. 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 2 garlic cloves, minced 1 cup thinly sliced roasted sweet red peppers Salt and freshly ground pepper 4 large basil leaves, cut in slivers (chiffonade) (optional) 3 ounces goat cheese, crumbled 3/4 pound pasta, any shape 1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large, heavy skillet. Add the garlic. Cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the sliced roasted peppers, and stir together for about a minute until well infused with the oil and garlic. Season with salt and pepper, and stir in the basil (if using) and goat cheese. Remove from the heat. 2. When the water comes to a boil, salt generously and add the pasta. Cook until al dente — firm to the bite — following the recommendations on the package. Ladle about 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water into the frying pan, and stir well so that the goat cheese begins to melt. Drain the pasta, and toss immediately with the pepper mixture in the pan. Serve. Yield: Serves four. Advance preparation: You can make this through Step 1 several hours before you wish to serve it. Add the basil and cheese only when you reheat it. Nutritional information per serving: 478 calories; 16 grams fat; 6 grams saturated fat; 22 milligrams cholesterol; 65 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 110 milligrams sodium (does not include salt added during preparation); 17 grams protein