Ingredients
Kosher salt
1 lb. spaghetti
2 tbsp. plus 2 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil, divided
2 tbsp. unsalted butter
1/2 white onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 large carrot, peeled and chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
6 roma tomatoes, cored and chopped (with seeds)
2 bay leaves
2 chipotles in adobo sauce (I like Embasa brand), plus 1 tbsp. adobo sauce
1/4 c. heavy whipping cream
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 baguette, torn into bite-size pieces
1/4 c. freshly grated Parmesan
1/4 c. chopped fresh cilantro
Preparation
Step 1In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta until al dente according to package directions. Reserve 2 cups pasta water before draining. Step 2Meanwhile, in a large, heavy saucepan over medium-high heat, heat 2 teaspoons oil and butter. Add onions and garlic and cook until soft and starting to turn golden, 5 minutes. Add carrots and celery and cook 2 minutes more. Add tomatoes and bay leaves and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are soft, about 15 minutes. Discard bay leaves. Step 3Transfer mixture to a blender and add chipotles, adobo sauce, cream, and 1 cup reserved pasta water. Blend until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Step 4Strain sauce back into saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat and simmer until thickened, about 15 minutes. Step 5Meanwhile, make croutons: Heat broiler. On a large rimmed baking sheet, toss baguette pieces with remaining 2 tablespoons oil and season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with Parmesan. Broil until deeply golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Top with cilantro.Step 6Add cooked pasta to sauce and toss, adding more reserved pasta water as needed to coat the noodles.Step 7 Top pasta with croutons before serving.
So he convinced a man named Pedro to come cook and care for us. As half-Americans growing up in Tijuana—I always had one foot in both countries—we loved hamburgers and spaghetti. Pedro was like, “OK, fine, I’ll make that stuff so long as I can Mexicanize it with bold flavors.” He’d add guac and pickled jalapeños to burgers and toss spaghetti in this chipotle-laced tomato sauce. Everything was next-level. He was my biggest inspiration in becoming a chef. This pasta became the favorite food of all my friends. You didn’t sit down to eat a plate of it—you ate a platter. It’s comforting in the way pasta tends to be: creamy and rich, plus a hint of smoke from chipotle in adobo. It’s what I make when people come over for dinner (always a hit) and, of course, for my kids too. They request it just like I did of Pedro, usually every couple of weeks.
