Sauces – Salt… as needed

On a recent evening when I was flummoxed with the age old question of ‘what to cook for dinner’ , I chanced upon this recipe from BON APPETIT for spaghetti in a Red pesto sauce. It looked like a quick, simple make but they had used anchovies, which I don’t like. So I needed something salty and earthy, with a similar flavor pattern as a substitute and decided to use Miso instead. I recently discovered this versatile condiment and have been using it off and on in my savory dishes that need a nutty and salty flavor. Miso paste makes a great soup , of course, but is versatile enough to be used in dips, vinaigrettes, hummus or a pesto. It’s Umami flavor works well with savory dishes.

The pasta I used was Caramalata, which looks very much like squid rings and is traditionally made with squid as they are more or less the same shape and size. I picked it up at Eataly but is easily available elsewhere too. You could use any wide, tube shaped pasta, such as rigatoni or ziti because the thickness of the sauce works well, getting into those crevices of tube pastas.

Here I share with you my version of the Red Pesto Sauce.

Ingredients

1 lb calamarata , ziti or rigatoni pasta

1/2 cup walnuts

4 garlic pods

1/2 cup olive oil

4 tablespoons tomato paste

1 teaspoon crushed chilli flakes

2 Fresno chillies, seeds removed

*1 tablespoon Miso paste

2 Tablespoons Lemon Juice

1/2 cup grated Parmesan and some for garnish

1/4 stick butter, chopped up

Salt as Needed

Preparation

In a pan, take the oil, add garlic and walnuts and sauté on a low flame till they turn a light brown color. Now add the tomato paste, chilli flakes, Fresno chillies and the miso paste and sauté for a couple minutes more till the pastes are nicely mixed up in the oil. Cool for a bit and transfer into a food processor, add lemon juice and Parmesan cheese and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Pulse till it is a smooth mixture.

In a pot boil salt and water for the pasta. Prepare as per instructions on the bag. Drain pasta. Reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta liquid.

In a serving bowl, place the butter at the bottom, now add the pasta, pesto sauce and reserved liquid and toss gently.

Divide the pasta in bowls and garnish with Parmesan cheese.

Serve hot.

Wine Suggestion

This dish pairs well with a Chianti or Super Tuscan, lending its bold taste to the earthy and spicy flavors of the Sangiovese grapes.

*Miso paste is available in Asian stores and keeps well in the refrigerator for a long time.

HAPPY COOKING!

This past Father’s Day , with the kids away, L&M wanted to spend it as per his choice. So we started the day watching an ICC World Cup cricket match. Then a moderately strenuous ( Bull S***) hike in the Mt Diablo State Park, which actually is amazing. The views are just breathtaking. If any of you are in the area (Danville, CA) please do visit. We rounded that off with a Burrito Supreme at the local Taco Bell , priceless !

What we did that evening for dinner is something I highly recommend to all you novelty seeking, fabulous cooks and foodies. So we met up with a friend who lives in the Mission District in SF and walked over to the local bodega. Did not have a menu or a shopping list so made it up as we walked through the produce aisles. The plan was to buy fresh groceries and come back to his kitchen and cook together. Picked up some assorted greens, peppers, jicama, mango, poblanos and cilantro. And of course fresh tortillas. This particular bodega did not carry fresh fish or meat so we improvised. Next door was Rosamunde , a restaurant / deli that serves and sells the most delectable, juicy , fat sausages. Everything from duck, rabbit, lamb, pork… you name it. We picked up some Merguez (lamb with Moroccan spices), duck, rabbit and the hot Italian. Again , highly recommended.

Once back the first thing we did was pour ourselves a drink (wine and scotch) and started cooking together. The kitchen was very well appointed with every gadget and cooking tool a cook could imagine, so off we went.

The menu developed organically ; with such fresh produce and meat definitely did not want to do many spices. To start, a fresh salad with greens, jicama, oranges (from his tree), avocados (also from his tree), peppers and onions drizzled with a dressing made from reduced balsamic vinegar , chaat masala ( mixed spice available in Indian stores), EVOO, Pepper and of course, salt as needed. Next, a mango salad made with thinly sliced mangoes, red onion, jalapeños ,cilantro, lime juice and a pinch of sugar. Additionally, I sautéed some onions, poblano peppers (de-seeded) and tomatoes for a couple minutes as another side, served warm. Then in a heavy bottomed pan we sautéed the sausages till brown and kept them warm on the side. To finish off, I prepared the tortillas like a Baida (egg) Roti. It’s simple- beat a couple eggs with salt and pepper. In a pan, a little oil, then the tortilla, pour a couple tbsps of the egg, place another tortilla on top and cook both sides. Sprinkle mango powder and chopped cilantro.

A quick chimicurri recipe – 1 cup parsley, 1/2 cup EVOO, 2 pods garlic, 1 jalapeño, salt as needed , all blended together.

Viola the table was set ; Green salad, mango salad, sautéed onions and peppers, chimichuri sauce (homemade), sausages eaten street taco style with the Baida Rotis.

Wine Pairing: A Bordeaux goes excellent with the dense sausages, bringing out all the flavors while cutting through the fat. We had the 2016 Chateau Le Doyenne, cotes de Bordeaux. 90 points on Wine Enthusiast, rich, dark and full of fruit finishes with a hint of chocolate. Mid-priced, excellent buy.

Would love to know when you try it out!

Happy Cooking!

Category: Sauces

CALAMARATA PASTA in a RED PESTO SAUCE

To Bodega, To Bodega to buy a fat………