Mina Stone’s Spaghetti à la Elsa Schiaparelli

Mina Stone in her Brooklyn test kitchen

Throughout the years I’ve asked myself why my cooking has found its place among artists. I always come to the same conclusion: Let the artwork be fierce and thought-provoking, let the food be simple and nourishing. This juxtaposition always seems to work. The equilibrium brings harmony to the meal.

When I was thinking about a recipe inspired by Surrealism for a Valentine’s Day feast, I knew I had to draw from a place that respected this contrast. I wouldn’t be able to create the recipe any other way. I can’t create bugs out of olives (I tried) and I am no Gala or Salvador Dalí, which rules out elaborate shrimp towers and whimsical molded aspics.

Mina Stone in her Brooklyn test kitchen

I didn’t have to look any further for inspiration than one of the Dalí’s frequent collaborators, my fashion idol, the designer Elsa Schiaparelli. As it turns out, in addition to her imaginative clothing and jewelry design, she was an avid cook. (I went to fashion school, not culinary school, surprise!)

Mina Stone in her Brooklyn test kitchen

I stumbled on an article she wrote in 1957 for House and Garden detailing her approach to Italian cooking along with her own recipes. Authentic, simple, and full of heart, Schiaparelli found magic in the inherent deliciousness of Italian food, entertaining her friends in the cellar-turned-trattoria of her Paris apartment. There was nothing avant-garde about it; her sole purpose was to delight friends with a great meal.

I instantly gravitated toward Schiaparelli’s recipe for spaghetti with anchovies. It was familiar enough to be undeniably delicious yet unique enough to feel different. I could picture a Valentine’s Day recipe right away. As we know from the love affair in Lady and the Tramp, spaghetti always wins—It’s irrevocably sexy yet always approachable. And because it’s affordable, it’s long been a staple of artist get-togethers.

The recipe begins with cooking down lots of thinly sliced onions in olive oil (five of them! I could only fit three in my very large saucepan) and then marrying them with the rest of the ingredients. What the onions do is lend a complex sweetness to the tomato sauce that pops with flavor when tossed with the anchovies and lots of fresh rosemary. My addition is lots of lemon zest and a smattering of pink peppercorns on top. Because pink peppercorns are spicy, delicious, and, well… pink!

Mina Stone in her Brooklyn test kitchen

Spaghetti with Anchovies, Sweet Onions, and Lemon Zest

Serves 4 as a main and 6 as an appetizer

1 pound of good spaghetti
Extra virgin olive oil
4 tablespoons of unsalted butter
3 sweet Vidalia onions, peeled and sliced into thin half-moons
8 anchovies, finely chopped
3 sprigs of rosemary, leaves removed and finely chopped (about 1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons)
28 oz pomodori pelati (whole peeled tomatoes, preferably San Marzano)
Zest of 4 organic lemons
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Mina Stone in her Brooklyn test kitchen

In a large saucepan, add the thinly sliced onions, about 1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil, the butter, and a large pinch of kosher salt. Sauté over medium-low heat until the onions start to soften, about eight to 10 minutes.

Add the chopped anchovies and rosemary and toss with the onions until fragrant, about two minutes. Add the tomatoes and their juice. Cook all together for about 25–30 minutes over low heat. Occasionally mash the tomatoes with your spoon. Toward the end of the cooking time, taste for seasoning, adding more salt and lots of fresh pepper to taste. You will know it is done cooking when there is a nice slick of olive oil forming on the top of the sauce.

Mina Stone in her Brooklyn test kitchen

Turn the heat off and zest the four lemons into the sauce. Toss thoroughly and set aside while you boil the pasta. Note: you can make this sauce a day or two in advance and reheat when you are ready to cook the pasta.

Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook for six minutes, then drain, reserving one cup of the pasta water. The pasta should be very al dente.

Mina Stone in her Brooklyn test kitchen

Bring the sauce back to a barely there simmer and add the cooked pasta. Toss with the sauce and cook for another minute or so, adding pasta water if you feel like you want it to be looser. Taste a piece of spaghetti; it should still have a nice bite to it. Turn off the heat and serve immediately with freshly grated Parmigiano and pink peppercorns on top.