The Acre Substack Dinner Party | Pasta Every Day
A fall dinner party with a double recipe feature from Meryl's Feinstein's brilliant cookbook, Pasta Every Day.
I am loving settling into this community on Substack. There are so many brilliant creators, and I am being inspired everyday to create, cook or learn something new.
Each month I will pull together my curation of what I am loving into a themed dinner party, with tableware and additional ideas to round it out. This is going to be so fun to see how these evolve over the year. Pour yourself a glass of wine and join me at The Acre Substack Dinner Party.
Photography: Nico Schinco; Food Styling: Judy Kim; Prop Styling: Maeve Sheridan
I am thrilled to share this dinner party with you all as it features recipes from one of my favorite cookbooks, Pasta Every Day by Meryl Feinstein. This book started my weekly rhythm of Pasta Sundays, with Meryl’s instruction breaking down technique that needs to be felt with your hands into perfectly worded detail and exact images of every action. This book gave me the confidence to try my hand at a wide range of pasta shapes, sauces and fillings. I highly recommend you add this book to your collection.
I reached out to Meryl about theming a Substack Dinner Party around her book and you better believe I fell off my chair when she said yes. As we talked recipes, we honed into a fall dinner party, and I cannot think of a better way to begin this season.
Setting the Table
There is a crisp in the air, a gentle breeze stirs the pumpkin leaves. Pumpkins peak between the green–brilliant orange, buffed beige, dusty blue. Blankets are draped over garden benches, setting up an intimate gathering beneath the squash tendrils.
The Aesthetic
Rich, Autumnal, Earthy
A table in the fall garden is surrounded by deep greens, olive browns, dusty mauves, golden wheats. As plants begin to fade, colors shift and deepen, inviting a change that can bring so much richness to the table.
The two pasta dishes featured in the spread–Smoky Pumpkin Sauce with Cavatelli and Roasted Red Pepper & Vegetarian Sausage Ragù with Cavatelli are vibrantly orange, striking against the fading colors of the garden. The Year & A Day Balsam Big Bowls and champaign flatware will perfectly highlight these stunning sauces.
The cover of Pasta Every Day is set on a green striped table. I love this graphic element, and wanted touches of this within the spread. I added the green pinstripe serving bowl for the roasted red pepper pasta, the green gingham serving platter for the smoky pumpkin pasta, and the pink stripe dinner plate for each guest’s salad and toast. With this meal gravitating towards an Italian fall spread, I added in a few vegetable shaped serve ware (I am a sucker for veg-shaped dishes, I would make all my dishes brassicas if I could) a stunning radicchio serving bowl with bold salad servers for a simple winter greens salad, and duo artichokes for serving the garlic confit toasts (I mean, how cute are they?). To ground us in the garden I added a basket serving tray to cue harvest season.
The Menu
Oh I could not be more excited about this menu. It celebrates the beginning of fall leaning into the mingling of seasons with dishes that fill you with cozy warming flavors.
Castello Di Lispida Merlot
For this meal I would include a bottle of Montelispida–a natural merlot made in the cellars of Castello Di Lispida. My husband and I stayed in this beautiful Italian castle, and the wine holds such special memories for us. I cannot imagine a better pairing for these hearty fall pasta sauces than Montelispida, served in these stunning red wine glasses.
Simple Salad
I would start this meal with a ‘simple salad’–in season greens dressed in lemon juice, Meryl’s Pasta Social Club X Primis Imports Olive Oil, salt & pepper. This is a salad you dress and taste, adjusting seasoning, lemon and oil until the right balance is achieved. A good olive oil here will make all the difference in flavoring this salad, giving it a smooth and rich finish. I would use a mix of arugula, baby mustard greens, radicchio, and baby lettuce for this salad. Serve this with the ricotta & garlic toasts for the perfect pairing to start the meal.
Ricotta Filling & Garlic Confit Toasts
Pasta Every Day is full of wonderful pasta sauces and fillings, and I wanted to find a unique way to use the recipes to create a complete dinner party. I used Meryl’s whipped ricotta filling recipe (page 214 in her book) as a spread on a whole grain rustic toast and topped it with her garlic confit recipe (page 355 in her book), ground cherries or small dollops of apricot preserves and a whisper of thyme. This is insanely good - the perfect balance of creamy, savory and just a touch of sweet. A great way start the meal to give textural contrast to pasta, while having the whole meal hang together with fall flavors.
Homemade Cavatelli
I chose for these two pastas to use the same noodle–this makes it easier if you choose to make your own to focus on one shape and dough. Cavatelli is my favorite hand shaped pasta recipe in Meryl’s book–it is a perfect little dumpling, holding sauce beautifully. You can find this recipe on her substack as well as in her book–you don’t need fancy pasta making tools to create Cavatell–you can create the distinct ridges with a sushi mat if you don’t have a gnocchi board.
Smoky Pumpkin Pasta
The salad and toasts have been cleared, and its time for pasta. I would serve these two pastas family style, letting friends choose how much of each pasta they want to enjoy. I love having the two flavors that feel so unique yet if they mingled in the bowl, would be a delicious pairing.
I love growing pumpkins in my garden, and have one of my Moranga pumpkins in mind for this. It has the creamiest consistency of any winter squash I have ever had, perfect for a glossy saucy pasta. I would roast it until very tender, them blitz it into a smooth puree before making this dish.
Reprinted, with permission, from Pasta Every Day: Make It, Shape It, Sauce It, Eat It, by Meryl Feinstein (Voracious, 2023). Photography: Nico Schinco; Food Styling: Judy Kim; Prop Styling: Maeve Sheridan
Smoky Pumpkin Sauce
Serves 4 (enough for 22 ounces fresh pasta or 16 ounces dried pasta)
Here’s a sauce to make all autumn long, especially when you have that last bit of pumpkin purée left over from a holiday pie. Don’t be fooled, though: this isn’t giving off any pumpkin spice latte vibes. It’s smoky, spicy, and plenty savory.
4 tablespoons (55 grams) unsalted butter, divided
12 fresh sage leaves
4 garlic cloves, minced
1¼ cups (280 grams) pumpkin purée
¾ cup (180 ml) vegetable stock
¾ teaspoon smoked paprika
½ teaspoon chili powder
½ teaspoon chipotle chili powder
Whole nutmeg
Kosher salt
1/3 cup (80 ml) heavy cream
¾ ounce (20 grams) finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
In a small skillet, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter over medium heat. Add the sage and fry, shaking the pan often, until darkened and crisp, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel–lined plate.
In a large sauté pan or Dutch oven, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, stirring constantly, 30 seconds.
Stir in the pumpkin, stock, smoked paprika, chili powder, chipotle powder, a generous grating of nutmeg, and a pinch of salt. Simmer the sauce until slightly thickened, stirring occasionally, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in the cream and simmer until thickened, about 3 minutes. Season to taste and turn off the heat.
To Serve
Cook your pasta of choice to your liking. When it’s almost ready, reheat the sauce over medium. Transfer the pasta directly to the sauce (or drain it first and reserve 1 cup (240 ml) pasta cooking water) and toss until the pasta is well coated. Turn off the heat and stir in the cheese. Loosen with cooking water as needed and adjust the seasoning to taste.
Divide the pasta among bowls and serve topped with the fried sage.
Roasted Red Pepper Ragù Pasta
Roasted red peppers are something entirely different from their raw veggie tray counter part. This recipe celebrates them in all their glory, bringing the sweetness and creaminess to this dish.
Reprinted, with permission, from Pasta Every Day: Make It, Shape It, Sauce It, Eat It, by Meryl Feinstein (Voracious, 2023). Photography: Nico Schinco; Food Styling: Judy Kim; Prop Styling: Maeve Sheridan
Roasted Red Pepper & Vegetarian Sausage Ragù
Serves 4 (enough for 22 ounces fresh pasta or 16 ounces dried pasta)
This ragù is one of the dishes that got me hooked on the power of a good sauce, and you’d never know it comes together in just over an hour. Smoked paprika and plenty of garlic provide slow-cooked–level depth that make it hard to stop eating. Plus, the creaminess comes (mostly) from the roasted peppers, so, although it tastes decadent, it’s lighter than it looks.
This recipe is vegetarian as written, but for the omnivore, use your favorite spicy or sweet Italian sausage.
2 large red bell peppers
½ cup (120 ml) vegetable stock
3 tablespoons (45 ml) extra-virgin olive oil, divided
12 ounces (340 grams) plant-based sausage (I like Beyond Meat Hot Italian sausages—use something that crumbles), any casings removed and torn into pieces
½ yellow onion, finely chopped
Kosher salt
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon (15 grams) tomato paste
½ cup (120 ml) dry white wine like Pinot Grigio
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon Aleppo pepper or red pepper flakes
1/3 cup (80 ml) heavy cream
Freshly ground black pepper
Roast the Peppers
Set the oven broiler to high. Cut the peppers in half lengthwise. Remove the stems and seeds, then arrange the halves cut sides down on a foil-lined sheet pan. Broil the peppers for 25 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through, or until the skins are almost completely blackened. Alternatively, if you have a gas stovetop, carefully char the whole peppers directly over the flame, using tongs to rotate them.
Transfer the peppers to a bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap or a dishcloth. Let steam for 10 minutes. When the peppers are still warm but cool enough to handle, remove the skins (they should peel off easily). Then transfer them to a blender and add the stock. Purée until smooth.
In a large nonstick sauté pan, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil over medium-high. Add the sausage and use a spatula or wooden spoon to break it up into small pieces. Cook, stirring frequently, until mostly browned, 5 to 7 minutes. If it verges on burning, add a splash of water to loosen it from the bottom of the pan. Transfer to a bowl.
Reduce the heat to medium and add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Add the onion and a pinch of salt. Cook until softened, stirring occasionally, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, 30 seconds. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring frequently, for another minute until caramelized.
Return the sausage to the pan. Increase the heat to medium-high and add the wine. Stir to combine, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan, and simmer until the wine reduces by half, 2 to 3 minutes.
Reduce the heat to medium-low and stir in the red pepper purée, spices, and a pinch of salt. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in the cream and simmer for 2 minutes more. Turn off the heat and season to taste.
To Serve
Cook your pasta of choice to just shy of your liking. Return the sauce to medium heat and transfer the pasta directly to the pan, along with ¼ cup (60 ml) pasta cooking water (if you need to drain the pasta first, reserve a little more cooking water than you might need). Toss to combine and cook until the pasta is well coated, 1 to 2 minutes, adding more cooking water to loosen as needed. Divide the pasta among bowls and serve.
Affogato
Let’s not forget dessert. After warm and comforting pasta, a bitter-smooth, cold-warm affogato is the fitting end to the meal. I would serve this classic on this dotted border oval platter in these beautiful Kaneko Kohyo Giyaman Urushi Ceramic Condiment Bowls. An unconventional use, but the petite size and ridged edges feel like mini gourds, perfect for a tiny treat. Easy to make with strong coffee and your favorite vanilla ice cream, no prep is needed for this dessert other than turning on the coffee pot.
The sun sets and the candles fill the pumpkin arch with a rich glow. Wrapped in blankets, guests recline, taking in the croak of frogs, hum of crickets. Welcome fall, we have missed you.
Good call out! Yes I mean her classic ricotta filling on page 214. I will update the post ✨
Rachel!!! This is incredible. Thank you so much for sharing this beautiful dinner party and supporting Pasta Every Day! I’m now inspired to host my own little gathering. Grazie mille!!! 💛💛