Pasta with Drunken Figs and Balsamic Butter
A midnight pasta made from pantry spaghetti, boozy figs, and balsamic-laced brown butter. Decadent, fast, and quietly romantic - like you got seduced by your own pantry.
Ingredients
Main
- 200 g about 7 oz spaghetti or linguine
- 6 –8 fresh figs or 1/2 cup dried figs, chopped
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 garlic clove minced
- Pinch of red pepper flakes
- Salt to taste
- Grated Parmesan to finish
- Handful of fresh basil torn (optional but highly recommended)
Instructions
- Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook pasta until just shy of al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water, then drain.
- Meanwhile, if using fresh figs, quarter them. If using dried, chop roughly. In a wide skillet, melt butter over medium heat until golden and nutty-smelling (about 3–4 minutes).
- Add garlic, figs, and red pepper flakes. Let the figs soften and sizzle for 2–3 minutes, stirring gently so they don’t fall apart.
- Add balsamic vinegar and stir. It should sizzle and turn syrupy within a minute. Add a splash of pasta water to loosen it up.
- Toss in the drained pasta and swirl everything together, adding more pasta water as needed to create a glossy sauce.
- Taste and season with salt. Plate it up and finish with grated Parmesan and fresh basil. Eat with one hand, phone in the other, texting no one.