There’s something quietly triumphant about a bowl of pasta that doesn’t need theatre to impress – just good stock, proper butter and the confidence to let a handful of ingredients do the talking.
That’s the throughline in these four recipes, each one a reminder that the best winter cooking isn’t necessarily the richest or the heaviest, but the most comforting: broths reduced until they cling to the pasta like silk; crab folded through warm butter; bitter greens softened into submission; a vegetable ragù that tastes like the work of an afternoon, because it is.
They’re the sort of dishes you want in December, when the light disappears early and you need something fast, generous and warming that doesn’t feel like yet another festive undertaking.
It’s also exactly the kind of cooking Phil Howard has spent the past few years championing. After decades at the helm of The Square, he stepped away from fine dining’s flourishes in favour of something cleaner, lighter and rooted in flavour over fuss – a philosophy that underpins NOTTO, the pasta bars he now runs with business partner Julian Dyer.
With a third site opening in Broadgate on 22 December, designed for Londoners who want speed without compromise, these recipes feel particularly timely: simple enough to pull together on a weeknight, but polished in the way only a chef who once held two Michelin stars for nearly two decades can manage.
So consider this your invitation to cook like NOTTO at home – unfussy, ingredient-led pasta that delivers the sort of quiet luxury December dinners deserve.
Tagliatelle with chicken stock, tarragon and farmhouse butter
A bowl that proves simplicity can still feel extravagant. The stock cooks down to something almost sticky, catching on the ribbons of pasta, while a hit of tarragon butter turns it into the kind of quiet luxury you can make on a weeknight.
Serves: 2
Prep time: 10 minutes | Cook time: 25-30 minutes
Ingredients:
1L chicken stock
250g unsalted butter (softened)
100g tarragon (leaves picked; stalks reserved)
1 lemon (zest to finish)
250g tagliatelle
Method:
1. Reduce the chicken stock by two-thirds until deeply golden and flavourful. Season if needed.
2. Pick the tarragon leaves. Blend the leaves with the softened butter until smooth.
3. Add the tarragon stalks to the reduced stock and infuse for 5 minutes, then discard.
4. Cook the tagliatelle in rapidly boiling salted water until al dente.
5. Drain, reserving a little pasta water.
6. Combine the pasta with the reduced stock and half the tarragon butter. Emulsify over gentle heat.
7. Adjust with pasta water if the flavour is too intense, or add more butter for extra richness.
8. Serve in a preheated bowl and finish with lemon zest.
9. Eat immediately.
Linguine with crab, spring onions, cayenne and citrus zest
Light, silky and just the right side of indulgent, this is the pasta you make when you want maximum payoff for minimal fuss. Sweet crab, warm spice and plenty of lemon give it that coastal, breezy feel – without going anywhere near a fishmonger.
Serves: 2
Prep time: 10 minutes | Cook time: 10-12 minutes
Ingredients:
½ block softened butter
200g picked white crab meat
4 spring onions, finely sliced into rounds
1 pinch cayenne
1 lemon (zest to finish)
1 pinch chilli flakes
250g linguine
Method:
1. Bring a pot of heavily salted water to a rolling boil and cook the linguine until al dente.
2. Drain, reserving a little pasta water.
3. In a saucepan, melt the butter with a small splash of pasta water, the cayenne, and the crab. Bring to a gentle simmer and emulsify into a silky sauce.
4. Add the linguine and spring onions. Toss thoroughly to coat.
5. If the sauce thickens too much, loosen with additional pasta water.
6. Season to taste.
7. Serve in a preheated bowl, finishing with lemon zest and a sprinkle of chilli flakes.
8. Eat immediately.
Reginette with purple sprouting broccoli, anchovy, chilli and garlic
A punchy, deeply savoury tangle of greens and pasta where anchovy does the heavy lifting and orange brightens the whole thing up. It’s the sort of dish that tastes far more involved than it is, helped along by a frankly irresponsible amount of olive oil.
Serves: 2
Prep time: 10 minutes | Cook time: 15-20 minutes
Ingredients:
250g purple sprouting broccoli
1 white onion
2 cloves garlic
2 red chillies
200g olive oil
50g chopped anchovies
1 orange (zest + juice)
250g reginette or mafalde
Method:
1. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil.
2. Cut each broccoli stem into four pieces.
3. Finely dice the onion; finely chop the garlic; finely slice half the chillies.
4. Heat the olive oil in a saucepan and gently sweat the onion, garlic, and chilli until tender.
5. Add the broccoli along with a small splash of water and the juice of the orange.
6. Cover and cook until the broccoli is tender.
7. Stir in the anchovies and orange zest briefly off the heat.
8. At this stage, cook the pasta in the boiling water until al dente.
9. Drain, reserving a little pasta water.
10. Combine the pasta with the broccoli mixture over heat, loosening with a splash of pasta water if needed.
11. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.
12. Serve in a preheated bowl and eat immediately.
Root vegetable bolognese
A proper cold-weather project: slow-cooked, richly textured and every bit as satisfying as a classic ragu, only entirely made of veg. The mix of roots, mushrooms and chestnuts gives it real depth – the kind that makes you wonder why you ever bothered with mince.
Serves: 6-8
Prep time: 30-40 minutes | Cook time: 2-3 hours
1 onion
4 cloves garlic
½ celeriac
1 large carrot
1 parsnip
1 small turnip
1 small swede
1 large beetroot
200g blanched chestnuts
½ butternut squash
2 punnets field mushrooms
5 fresh bay leaves
5 tins chopped tomatoes
200ml olive oil
250g pasta
Method:
1. Peel all vegetables and remove any seeds, skins, or cores.
2. Individually pulse each vegetable in a food processor (beetroot last to avoid staining).
3. Heat olive oil in a heavy-based saucepan over medium-high heat.
4. Add the vegetables, season generously with salt, and cook until soft and tender, stirring constantly to prevent catching.
5. Add the chestnuts, tomatoes, bay leaves, and another pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.
6. Cover and cook in a 160C oven for 2–3 hours, checking every 30 minutes.
7. The finished sauce should resemble a traditional meat bolognese. Taste and adjust seasoning.
8. Cook your pasta in rapidly boiling salted water until al dente.
9. Combine the pasta with the bolognese in a saucepan, adding a little olive oil and pasta water to bring together.
10. Serve in a preheated bowl and eat immediately.
