Picabu Bistro’s Fire Pasta Copycat Recipe

Spokane’s Picabu Bistro might be long gone, but its signature dish lives on.

One of our go-to restaurants in Spokane was Picabu Bistro, a casual spot with simple yet flavorful dishes. My favorite was the protein-forward “Fire Pasta” – a spicy fettuccini dish.

When Picabu closed in 2018, the owners published a cookbook featuring the bistro’s dishes. I have not been able to track it down, but I was able to find a scan of the “Fire Pasta” recipe. With some modifications¹, I found the balance of something close to what I remember from the restaurant.

The recipe consists of three steps:

First, prepare the roux, as described below.

Second, for two servings, boil six ounces of fettuccini and crisp a quarter of a cup of bacon pieces. Set aside.

Finally, cook the sauce and pasta dish according to the steps below. The leftover sauce works great for hot wings.

The Roux

• 1 oz butter by weight

• 1 oz flour by weight

Melt butter in a saucepan and vigorously whisk in flour until it reaches a thick consistency. Pour roux evenly onto a plate and refrigerate to harden.

The Sauce

• ½ c Worcestershire sauce

• 1 c Frank’s RedHot sauce

• 3 c heavy cream

• Roux

• ½ tsp salt

• ¼ tbsp pepper

1. In a pot – I prefer a Dutch Oven – bring Worcestershire and RedHot to a boil.

2. Add cream, and return to boil.

3. Break up the hardened roux and add it, alongside salt and pepper, to the sauce.

4. Lower heat to medium, whisk to incorporate, and simmer for 10 minutes.

The Pasta: Two Servings

• 1 tbsp oil (or reuse the bacon grease)

• 6 oz chicken cut into 1” pieces

• 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

• 1 tsp red pepper flakes

• 5 oz sauce (from above)

• 6 oz cooked fettuccini

• 1 oz (or more) grated parmesan

• ¼ c crisp bacon pieces

1. Heat oil in a frying pan and sauté chicken.

2. Add garlic, pepper flakes, and sauce. Cook at medium/low until the sauce is hot.

3. Add fettuccini and simmer until it’s heated through.

And that’s it. Evenly garnish with parmesan and bacon, and relive a restaurant that’s gone but not forgotten.

“Picabu is closed but its cookbook – on sale now for $20 – offers customers all of its recipes.” (2018, December 17). In The Spokesman-Review. https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2018/dec/17/picabu-is-closed-but-its-cookbook-on-sale-now-for-/

1. The published recipe was aimed at restaurant quantities, and the steps weren’t entirely conducive to home cooking.