Okay. I consider all my recipes to be my babies, but some have a fully built home in my heart. This is one of those recipes that floods my brain with happy memories. For a few years, early in my relationship with John, we lived in a tiny (truly tiny) hotel-like room above the restaurant Cipriani on Wall Street, in New York. There weren’t a lot of apartments in this neighborhood, so it was always empty at night. I was used to the character of the Lower East Side, and now I was surrounded by shoeshine storefronts and bars packed with finance dudes.
I remember going down to Cipriani after their busy lunchtimes and sitting alone, soaking in the big empty room, always ordering their baked tagliolini. Hoooooooly shit, it’s truly one of the best dishes I have ever eaten. Creamy-creamy sauce, strands of ham, and perfectly cooked pasta that somehow doesn’t get overcooked under the broiler. I’ve simplified the dish a bit here, but I can confidently say IT IS PERFECTION. It’s insanely saucy and decadent as is, but feel free to toss in extra peas or sauté your ham in butter, just like they do at Cipriani. Get ready to marvel at the broiled, hot, bubbling cheesy cream. Ennnnjoy!!
Reprinted from Cravings: All Together. Copyright © 2021 by Christine Diane Teigen. Photographs copyright © 2021 by Alex Lau. Published by Clarkson Potter, an imprint of Random House.
