LeBron James Is Sure To Cosign These Angel Hair Pasta Recipes

Yesterday LeBron James dropped a brief, yet concise food rant on the world with a single tweet about angel hair pasta. James was replying to a tweet by Cuffsthelegend decrying angel hair being used in his “spaghetti.” Beyond the fact that spaghetti is a pasta that can be sauced in a million different ways, angel hair is a bit of a temperamental noodle choice — so… fair enough.

King James cosigned the tweet by throwing all angel hair pasta under the bus for being too “soupy” when used in “spaghetti” (we assume he means a bolognese, and in that case, he’s right — a good bol needs a thicker noodle for sauce absorbtion).

Angel hair — capelli d’angelo in Italy — is a fine pasta that needs a deft hand and light touch. It’s easily overcooked due to the tininess of its diameter. It’s easily over-sauced, too (see: LeBron’s “soupy” complaint). Which is why heavy sauces like Bolognese or Carbonara should be avoided, mostly.

Simple sauces will win the day here: Add a small tablespoon of Pomodoro (tomato) sauce to a pan, toss the angel hair in it, roll on a serving fork onto a plate, shave some parmesan over the top, and garnish with fresh Genovese basil, extra virgin olive oil, and coarse sea salt. Done and dope! We really need to hire LeBron a new chef! #LeBronJamesNeedsANewChef #MePlease?

Anyway, we thought we’d tempt LeBron with a few angel hair pasta dishes that transcend the over-saucing travesty that makes for a “soupy” plate of noodles. Oh, and we threw an actual soup in just for good measure. Mr. James, we ask that you give angel hair at least one more try.

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SEAFOOD PASTA

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Seafood anything is going to be great. Angel hair makes for a nice and light base to dish precisely cut with white wine (lemon), garlic, and oil that’s then loaded with as much shellfish that you can fit onto a plate. You need a light pasta to let the seafood shine and angel hair hits that mark every time.

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AGLIO E OLIO

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Aglio e olio is more a garnishing of pasta if you will. Garlic is fried until brown and crisp in plenty of good olive oil. A good handful of parsley is added before the noodles go into the pan with a nice spritz of lemon juice. Roll all that olive oil, lemony, and garlicky goodness onto a plate and generously heap freshly grated parmesan on there. Slam dunk, yo!

PRIMAVERA

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Again, this falls more under the “garnish your pasta” category. A decent Primavera is a chef’s choice of julienned night-shades, vegetables, and maybe fungi sauteed and tossed with angel hair. Julienne some zucchini, carrots, eggplant, red onion, bell pepper, and garlic to cook up with some olive oil in a pan. Maybe toss in some fresh-of-the-vine cherry tomatoes and peas. Drop in a little white wine for acidity before you toss all that verdant goodness with some angel hair. Don’t forget a good punch of salt and parmesan at the end to liven things up.

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PESTO

Here’s another simple dressing of angel hair that goes a long way flavor-wise. Simply take a small tablespoon of pesto and toss it with some angel hair with a little pasta water (to help adhere the pesto to the noodles). That’s it. The oily, nutty, and sharp flavor of the pesto will do all the work to make the thin pasta shine. Add some cheese as necessary and serve with a nice piece of fish or pork.

INVOLTINI DI MELANZANE

Let’s change things up a bit. Imagine a lightly breaded eggplant parm that’s rolled and stuffed with angel hair pasta that’s been tossed in a little Pomodoro sauce then topped with mozzarella and baked. The cheese gets all melty. The Pomodoro sauce offers an umami and acidic counterpoint to the savoriness of the eggplant. Throw some fresh basil on there and you’ve got yourself a fantastic dish.

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FIDEUA

Let’s change gears from Italy entirely and hit the Iberian peninsula for a paella variation that uses angel hair pasta instead of rice. This heavily spiced dish comes with plenty of steamed seafood and intense flavors (unless you try Vince’s punk ass version with over-cooked mussels). The angel hair is broken up here and cooked in plenty of saffron, chili, and fish stock before loads of shellfish are added (ahem, at the end). It’s big, colorful, and delicious way to eat angel hair noodles.

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SESAME NODDLES

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Now let’s jump to the other side of the world. Angel hair noodles work wonders when dressed in strong condiments (see: pesto). This dish takes cold angel hair and tosses it with sesame oil, garlic, green onions, and maybe a little mirin and soy sauces. The lightness of the cold noodles allows the condiments to shine their brightest against the sharpness of the garlic and onion. Add some smoked eel or teriyaki salmon and you’ve got yourself a hell of a meal.

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BRODO

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Let’s bring it all back home with this one. We’re back in Italy and we have an actual soup that angel hair is meant for. Brodo is literally just a luscious chicken-based broth. You’ll often find Brodo with tortellini around northern Italy, and, trust us, that’s a fantastic dish. Another very common way to serve Brodo is with angel hair or capelli d’angelo. It’s like chicken soup, but you’ve asked the chef to hold the chicken and vegetables. It’s simple. It’s seductive. It’s delicious. And it’s the only way the words “soupy” and angel hair should ever be intentionally paired.

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