Aside from being a Hollywood icon, Audrey Hepburn was quite a star in the kitchen, too. Over the years, she cooked up some fabulous dishes such as baked potatoes with sliced salmon and flourless chocolate cake. However, one condiment that Hepburn often used surprised fans: ketchup. Along with pasta, ketchup was one of Audrey Hepburn’s favorite foods. In fact, the actress often mixed these two together to create what’s been called her “lazy girl” meal.
In the cookbook titled “Audrey At Home: Memories of My Mother’s Kitchen” by Luca Dotti, Hepburn’s youngest son notes that she often made this simple meal for the two of them on Sunday nights, after a busy week’s work. According to Dotti, “Her very personal view of a good life included relaxing in front of the TV with a plate of penne and ketchup.”
You may be wrinkling your nose at the idea of dousing your pasta with store-bought ketchup. It’s likely not what you’d expect a refined Hollywood star to dine on. But it’s actually quite good, especially as Hepburn used a moderate amount of ketchup mixed with some olive oil, butter, and a generous helping of Emmentaler cheese. Sounds like soul food to us.
Hepburn’s famous four-ingredient pasta dish
To make Hepburn’s signature pasta dish, you will need only four ingredients: 8 ounces of uncooked penne, a dollop of ketchup (as much as your taste buds enjoy), 1 tablespoon of unsalted butter, 2 tablespoons of olive oil (extra virgin preferably), and grated Emmentaler cheese, which is also known as Emmental cheese. This portion will serve two people.
Cook up your pasta and strain it, setting aside a quarter cup of the cooking water. Turn the heat down low and return the drained pasta to the pot, adding the butter and olive oil and mixing until combined. Remove the pot from the heat and pop the lid on, letting the mixture rest for a few minutes (this waiting period is known as the mantecare technique). Then, add just enough ketchup to create that rich pink color to your dish, along with the cheese, and mix everything together. Use a bit of the leftover pasta water to thin out the dish to your liking.
While Hepburn favored Heinz ketchup, use whatever brand you enjoy the most. You can even make your own simple homemade ketchup. To give your dish an umami quality, consider adding a few drops of soy sauce.
