Edition: U.S. / Global

FOOD; Cold Winter Nights Are Perfect for Quick Pasta Meals

Published: February 6, 2000

FOR those who work all day, cooking the kind of food one yearns for on a cold winter night is not always practical. Long-simmered stews and braised meats are fine if you have the afternoon to prepare them, but they are out of the question when you get home after 6 p.m. One answer is a hearty pasta that can be made in less than an hour.

I often make penne with broccoli rape, which has a nutty, slightly bitter flavor, which makes it more interesting than regular broccoli (in fact, it is more closely related to the turnip family) and it is fast and simple. Crumbled sweet or spicy Italian sausage is good with this, and so are red pepper flakes.

Perciatelli is a thick spaghetti that takes well to a robust southern Italian tomato sauce to which I add shellfish. The sauce cooks in a half hour and the shellfish in minutes (to chop parsley for this dish, instead of using a food processor, which turns the leaves to mush, I use my mother's method: put the leaves in a cup and snip them with scissors).

Pasta with cauliflower is a popular Sicilian winter dish, often made with raisins and pine nuts or anchovies and hot pepper flakes. Alice Waters, the owner of Chez Panisse in Berkeley, Calif., uses whole-wheat pasta in her version, which she makes with toasted walnuts and a salty ricotta salata or feta cheese. I like this as a main course on a weeknight but it also makes a lovely first course for a dinner party, the mild, sweet taste of the cauliflower complemented by the walnuts and the whole-wheat pasta.

For all these dishes, use a good sea salt, not kosher salt or table salt. Genuine sea salt is more expensive, but it has a bright clean taste that brings out the flavor in food rather than merely making it taste salty. My favorite is gray French sea salt. It is worth every penny.

Penne With Sausages And Broccoli Rape

Total time: 30 minutes

4 sweet or spicy Italian sausages, sliced

Coarse sea salt

2 bunches broccoli rape

3/4 pound penne

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

Freshly ground pepper

Freshly grated Parmesan.

1. Slice the sausages, crumble them and brown them in their own fat in a heavy skillet over moderate heat. Drain them on paper towels and keep them warm in a low oven. Meanwhile, bring six quarts salted water to boil for the penne. Wash the broccoli rape, cut off the thick stems and discard them. Chop the leaves and sprouts coarsely.

2. Cook the penne until al dente. While the pasta is cooking, wipe out the skillet with paper towels, add the olive oil and saute the garlic until golden. Add the broccoli rape and saute, stirring frequently until it has wilted.

3. Drain the penne. Put it in a heated serving bowl and add the sausages and broccoli rape. Toss well, season to taste with salt and pepper and serve. Pass the cheese separately.

Yield: 4 to 6 servings.

Note: If you are using sweet sausage (or omitting sausage altogether) and want a spicy pasta, add one-half teaspoon or more of hot pepper flakes.

Perciatelli Alla Marinara

Total time: 45 minutes

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped fine

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 28-ounce can tomatoes, chopped, with their juice

1/2 cup chopped Italian parsley

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves

1/2 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes

Coarse sea salt to taste

1 pound medium shrimps

1 pound mussels

12 clams

1 pound perciatelli

Freshly ground pepper to taste.

1. Heat the oil in a casserole large enough to hold the seafood. Add the onion and garlic and cook until soft but not brown. Add the tomatoes with their juice, parsley, oregano, basil and hot pepper flakes. Season to taste with salt, cover and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

2. Meanwhile, shell the shrimps, leaving their tails on. De-beard and scrub the mussels and scrub the clams. Rinse well and set aside. Bring six quarts cold, salted water to a rolling boil and add the perciatelli, stirring to prevent it from sticking. Cook until tender but firm to the bite.

3. While the perciatelli is cooking, simmer the clams and mussels in the tomato sauce for five minutes with the lid on. Add the shrimps, season to taste with pepper and cook two minutes longer.

4. Drain the perciatelli. Transfer it to a heated bowl and pour the sauce and seafood on top. Toss gently and serve immediately.

Yield: 6 servings.

Whole-Wheat Pasta With Caulifower

Total time: 30 minutes

2 heads cauliflower

1 medium onion

4 cloves garlic

Coarse sea salt

1 pound whole-wheat pasta

Extra-virgin olive oil

Freshly ground pepper

1 pinch red pepper flakes

White-wine vinegar

Juice of 1/2 lemon

1/2 cup toasted walnuts

4 ounces ricotta salata or feta cheese.

1. Put a large pot of water on to boil. Cut the cauliflower into small flowerets. Peel the onion and slice it very thin. Peel and finely chop the garlic. Bring six quarts salted water to a boil and put the pasta on to cook.

2. Saute the cauliflower in about three tablespoons olive oil in a saute pan. When the cauliflower begins to soften, season it with salt and pepper to taste and add sliced onion and red pepper flakes. Saute over medium to high heat until the vegetables are brown and tender. The cauliflower should still be slightly crunchy and should not taste steamed.

3. Add the garlic and remove from the heat, tossing and stirring so the garlic does not burn; if it starts to brown, add a splash of water. Add a few drops each of vinegar and lemon juice and add the toasted walnuts. Taste and correct the seasoning.

4. When the pasta is done (it should be al dente), drain it and add it to the cauliflower with enough extra-virgin olive oil to coat the pasta thoroughly. Toss together and put in a heated bowl. Crumble cheese over dish.

Yield: 6 servings.

Note: This is adapted from ''Chez Panisse Vegetables'' by Alice Waters (HarperCollins).

Drawing (Victoria Roberts)