Tim Siadatan has come a long way since he shuffled into the kitchen of Fifteen as a nervous 17-year-old recruit in Jamie Oliver’s programme to teach skills to young people with few qualifications. A year later, in 2002, Siadatan, half-Iranian, half British and one of 14 children, graduated with a passion for all things Italian. “Within three weeks, I realised that this was something I loved and was good at,” he says.
He went on to work at St John and Moro before opening Trullo with his friend Jordan Frieda, son of the celebrity hairdresser John Frieda and Lulu, in 2010. It continues to provide the residents of Islington in north London with some of the best Italian food in the country, but it was their follow-up venture in 2016 that stole the headlines. Padella, in Borough Market, was the first restaurant to create a buzz around a simple bowl of pasta. No bookings, just half a dozen dishes with pasta freshly rolled in the restaurant window that morning, it immediately had crowds queuing down the street — and they are still there nearly ten years on.
Here he reproduces five of his most popular dishes using dried spaghetti and linguine. “The difference between fresh and dried pasta is not that one is better than the other, but more about the different textures they bring to a dish,” he says. “Just be mindful that cooking pasta requires a bit more attention than you think. With dried pasta, in particular, there are very fine margins to finding that perfect al dente point — firm to bite but easy to chew.” Tony Turnbull
1. Spaghetti vongole
Serves 4
This has to be a contender for the best pasta dish ever.
Ingredients
• 1.2-1.5kg small clams, scrubbed
• Sea salt
• 400g dried spaghetti
• A good glug (about 50ml) of extra virgin olive oil
• 2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1-2 small dried red chillies, roughly chopped, or ½-1 tsp crushed dried chilli
• 2 tbsp finely chopped flat-leaf parsley (stalks chopped finely and kept separate)
• 200ml white wine (unoaked)
Method
1. Throw away any clams with broken shells and any that do not close when you give them a sharp tap. Rinse the clams in cold water and then submerge them in a large bowl of cold water. Add 1 tsp fine salt and mix with your hands until the salt dissolves. Leave for 1 hour to purge the clams of any grit or sand, then drain and rinse.
2. For the pasta, in a large cooking pot, bring 4-5 litres water to the boil and add a fistful of salt (it should taste like mild sea water).
3. At the same time, heat the extra virgin olive oil in a pan large enough to hold the clams and cooked pasta that has a tight-fitting lid and add the garlic, chilli and chopped parsley stalks. Fry over a medium heat until the garlic starts to turn golden. Take off the heat and add a small splash of water (to stop the sauce cooking).
4. Drop the spaghetti into the boiling water and follow the packet directions for timing but take 2 minutes off the recommended cooking time (so if the packet says 9 minutes, give it 7 minutes).
5. While the pasta is cooking, put the pan with the garlic and chilli back over a high heat. When it starts to sizzle, add the clams and stir, then add the white wine and put the lid on. Give the pan a firm shake to distribute the heat evenly and leave to cook for about 3 minutes until the clams are opened. Discard any that remain closed.
6. Drain the pasta as soon as it’s ready, keeping two mugs of pasta water.
7. Add the pasta to the clams with half a mug (about 120ml) of pasta water and the chopped parsley leaves. Stir over a medium heat for 30 seconds until the pasta is coated in the sauce. The pasta should be al dente (firm to bite but easy to chew) and the sauce should be loose and wet. If it’s too dry, add splashes of the reserved pasta water while stirring until you hit the sweet spot. Taste and adjust the seasoning, adding salt if required.
8. Serve straight away, on a hot platter or individual plates.
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2. Spaghetti with garlic, capers, black pepper and olive oil
Serves 4
I have this when the fridge is empty and I’m in a rush. High-quality olive oil is a must. If you fancy zhuzhing it up, add some dried chilli and/or anchovies.
Ingredients
• 400g dried spaghetti
• Sea salt
• 100ml high-quality extra virgin olive oil, plus extra to finish
• 8 medium garlic cloves (about 40g), finely chopped
• 120g capers, rinsed, half whole, half finely chopped
• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tbsp finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
Method
1. For the pasta, in a large cooking pot, bring 4-5 litres water to the boil and add a fistful of salt.
2. Drop the spaghetti into the boiling water and follow the packet directions for timing but take 2 minutes off the recommended cooking time (so if the packet says 9 minutes, give it 7 minutes).
3. At the same time, heat the olive oil in a pan large enough to hold the sauce and cooked pasta. Add the garlic, capers, pepper and a pinch of salt and fry over a medium heat until the garlic starts to turn golden, stirring frequently to ensure the mixture doesn’t catch and burn. Take the pan off the heat and add a splash (about 25ml) of water to stop the cooking process. (It can spit; best to take the pan off the heat first.)
4. Drain the pasta as soon as it’s ready, keeping two mugs of pasta water.
5. Transfer the pasta to the garlic and caper pan and add the chopped parsley and half a mug (about 120ml) of pasta water. Stir continuously over a medium heat for a minute — the liquid in the sauce will reduce as you stir (the pasta will also continue to cook). It’s all about the spadellare, working it in the pan until you get the right consistency of sauce. You might need to add small splashes of the reserved pasta water to loosen the sauce, but remember to keep stirring until you hit the right consistency – you want the pasta to be loose and for the strands to slide freely over each other as you move them around the pan.
6. When the pasta is al dente (firm to bite but easy to chew), taste and adjust the seasoning, adding salt and/or pepper if necessary. Divide between hot plates and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil.
3. Linguine, tinned sardines, pine nuts, chilli, garlic and parsley
Serves 2
I’m obsessed with good tinned seafood. The Spanish and Portuguese have high-quality canning, but the UK is getting better. I’d recommend Mitch Tonks’s Rockfish range or Sea Sisters fish cannery.
Ingredients
• 200g dried linguine or spaghetti
• 2 x 120g tins sardines or mackerel in olive oil
• 3 medium garlic cloves, finely sliced
• 2 small dried red chillies, crumbled, or 1 tsp crushed dried chilli (or more if you like heat)
• 1 tbsp finely chopped flat-leaf parsley (stalks chopped finely and kept separate)
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tbsp pine nuts
• Finely grated zest and juice of quarter of a lemon
• 30g unsalted butter, cubed
• About 25ml extra virgin olive oil, plus extra to finish
Method
1. For the pasta, in a large cooking pot, bring 3-4 litres water to the boil and add a small fistful of salt.
2. Drop the pasta into the boiling water and follow the packet directions for timing but take 2 minutes off the recommended cooking time (so if the packet says 9 minutes, give it 7 minutes).
3. At the same time, tip the olive oil from the tins of fish into a pan large enough to easily hold the cooked pasta and sauce. Add the garlic, chilli, chopped parsley stalks and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Fry over a low-medium heat until the garlic starts to turn golden, then add a small ladle (about 60ml) of the seasoned pasta water to stop the cooking process and take the pan off the heat. Stir through the tinned fish and pine nuts.
4. Drain the pasta as soon as it’s ready, keeping two mugs of pasta water.
5. Add the pasta to the sauce along with the lemon zest and juice, butter and chopped parsley leaves. Place the pan back over a low-medium heat and add half a mug (about 120ml) of pasta water and a splash (about 25ml) of extra virgin olive oil. Stir until the fish breaks up and the sauce thickens slightly. Taste and season with salt and/or pepper if necessary.
6. Serve on hot plates with a small viscous halo of sauce around the pasta and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. Eat at once. I find it impossible not to scoop up the sauce at the end with a scarpetta — a crusty chunk of bread.
4. Spaghetti with fresh tomato sauce
Serves 4
Flavourful, super-ripe tomatoes are key. If you can’t source any, don’t waste your time; make something else.
Ingredients
• 400g dried spaghetti or linguine
• Sea salt
• 1kg very ripe tomatoes, washed
• 1 medium garlic clove, grated or crushed to a paste
• 8 basil leaves, roughly chopped, or 1 tsp dried wild oregano (from a dried bunch), crumbled
• 150ml extra virgin olive oil
• Freshly ground black pepper
Method
1. For the pasta, in a large cooking pot, bring 4-5 litres water to the boil and add a fistful of salt.
2. Meanwhile, coarsely grate around one third of the tomatoes to a pulp, discarding any tough skins, and place in a large bowl. Cut the remaining two thirds into roughly 1cm pieces and add to the bowl with the garlic, basil or oregano and extra virgin olive oil. Add a pinch each of salt and pepper and stir. Leave to sit for 5 minutes, to allow the salt to draw out the tomato juice and create a yummy sauce.
3. Drop the pasta into the boiling water and follow the packet directions for timing but take 2 minutes off the recommended cooking time (so if the packet says 9 minutes, give it 7 minutes).
4. Transfer the raw tomato sauce to a pan large enough to easily hold the cooked pasta as well.
5. Drain the pasta as soon as it’s ready, keeping two mugs of pasta water. Add the pasta to the raw tomato sauce.
6. Stir over a low heat until the pasta is al dente (firm to bite but easy to chew) and integrated with the sauce, adding small splashes of the reserved pasta water to loosen the sauce if it is too dry. The aim is for the raw tomato sauce to properly coat the pasta without the tomatoes cooking, so go carefully when adding pasta water because you don’t want to have to simmer the sauce to reduce it.
7. The seasoning is crucial here, so taste a strand of pasta and adjust the seasoning with salt and/or pepper if required. Serve on hot plates and eat immediately.
5. Linguine with anchovy, garlic, white wine, parsley and butter
Serves 4
This is super-simple and quick to make. The key is to use decent, full-bodied fresh wine rather than dregs from an unfinished bottle. The better quality the wine, the better this dish gets and Pieropan soave is my preferred choice.
Ingredients
• 400g dried linguine, spaghetti or bucatini
• Sea salt
• A glug (about 40ml) of extra virgin olive oil
• 8 medium garlic cloves (about 40g), finely sliced
• 4 tbsp finely chopped flat-leaf parsley (stalks chopped finely and kept separate — you need 1-2 tbsp)
• 20 good-quality plump anchovy fillets (salted or in oil), rinsed of salt or drained of oil
• 250ml soave or other full-bodied white wine
• 100g unsalted butter, cubed
• Freshly ground black pepper
Method
1. For the pasta, in a large cooking pot, bring 4-5 litres water to the boil and add a fistful of salt.
2. At the same time, add the extra virgin olive oil to a pan large enough to easily hold the sauce and cooked pasta. Place over a medium-low heat and add the garlic with the chopped parsley stalks. Fry until the garlic just starts to colour. Add the anchovy fillets and stir until they start to melt.
3. Now pour in the white wine and turn the heat to high to reduce it until you can’t smell the booze any more. Lower the heat and add the butter, allowing it to melt into the sauce. Take off the heat, taste and season with pepper (refrain from adding salt at this stage because the anchovies should provide enough).
4. Drop the pasta into the boiling water and follow the packet directions for timing but take 2 minutes off the recommended cooking time (so if the packet says 9 minutes, give it 7 minutes).
5. Drain the pasta as soon as it’s ready, keeping two mugs of pasta water.
6. Transfer the cooked pasta to the anchovy sauce and add the chopped parsley and half a mug (about 120ml) of pasta water. Place the pan back over a medium heat and stir vigorously until the pasta is fully coated in the sauce, the liquor has reduced a little, and the sauce has started to thicken and become smooth. If it’s too dry, add small splashes of the reserved pasta water while stirring until you hit the right consistency. Taste and adjust the seasoning, adding salt and/or pepper if required.
7. Serve on hot plates with a halo of sauce around the pasta and eat straight away.
Extracted from Padella: Iconic Pasta at Home by Tim Siadatan (Bloomsbury, £25), published on Thursday. Buy from timesbookshop.co.uk or call 020 3176 2935
Dining and Cooking