How To Cook Pasta In A Wok

Freshly made noodles, slightly crispy and tossed in a rich, fiery sauce, rapidly disappear by the forkful. We're not describing our ideal take-out order, but a spicy Italian pasta recipe that's going to transform your weeknight routine forever.

Sarah Grueneberg, this year's James Beard Award winner for Best Chef: Great Lakes, lets us in on her secret for cooking pasta arrabbiata in an entirely new way, and we're completely hooked. 

An expert in pasta making who cut her teeth on Italian cuisine in the kitchen at Chicago's Spiaggia and by taking frequent trips to Italy, Grueneberg is well versed in traditional methods. At her two-year-old West Loop restaurant, Monteverde, diners can watch what insiders affectionately call "pasta TV": cooks rolling out noodles and stuffing ravioli at a station behind the bar. Most pasta is made fresh to order, whether it's the agnolotti with Savoy cabbage and English peas, or the seasonal egg-filled raviolo filled with sweet corn, ricotta and Espelette peppers with nori on top. 

But when it comes to one of her favorite dishes, pasta arrabbiata, Grueneberg employs a less orthodox technique. "Arrabbiata means 'angry' in Italian," the chef says, who asked herself, "How do I make it more 'angry' without adding more spice?" Enter the wok: her "aha moment."

Grueneberg brings the heat to pasta arrabbiata by searing the sauce and noodles in an almost-smoking wok (see the recipe) for a dish that's as fun to make as it is to eat. As if it needed more life, she mixes in shrimp and homemade chile oil, which, pro tip, is great drizzled on everything from Chinese takeout to pizza.

The pan's high heat fries the tomato paste and tomatoes, making for a savory sauce that cooks in no time. "The surface area is really important, because you can stir the sauce up the sides and it can caramelize," Grueneberg explains. For that, you'll need a flat spoon with a long handle.

As for the noodles, they get a little crisp but still retain their soft, fresh texture with this technique. You can, of course, always use boxed noodles, but when making them fresh is as easy as it is in this recipe, it's definitely worth the effort. Grueneberg suggests using 00 flour and making sure you have really good eggs: just the yolks for strand pasta and whole eggs for filled pasta.

For mixing the dough, the chef also prefers using the well method of creating a divot for the eggs in a mound of flour, as opposed to whipping it all up in a food processor. Making the dough by hand lets you see and feel exactly how it's coming together, she explains.

The dough's texture—whether you're rolling out strand pasta or filled—is crucial, and to achieve the ideal consistency, Grueneberg warns against adding too much water. "After it rests, it'll become softer," she reminds us, suggesting the dough rests anywhere between 30 minutes to 1 hour to overnight.

When your pasta is ready to (ahem) roll, it's really important to have all of your mis en place, as working with a wok means the heat is on and you won't have time to chop or assemble. So make sure all of your ingredients are prepped and set out.

Another pro tip? "You have to be not scared to cook on high heat, and don't be afraid to clean your kitchen afterward," Grueneberg says. Sure, you might get a spatter or two from tossing the noodles in the air, but after all is said and done, you'll definitely be left with a clean plate.

This month, we've decided to Turn Up the Heat, and nothing's off-limits—not even dessert. We're bringing you all the fiery recipes, spicy dishes and hot new trends you can handle.