Mediterranean Pasta

I tasted a Mediterranean pasta somewhere and since then I've been dying to try it at home. It seemed really simple, a different take on pasta and the flavors really exploded. The restaurant where I first tasted it had a base of pesto and pasta tossed olive oil, artichoke hearts, sundried tomatoes, feta cheese and olives.

I skipped feta cheese and artichoke hearts since I didn't have any and added capers because I love them! I also had half a red bell pepper, so I roasted that and added it.

1/2 cup of pesto

4-5 sundried tomatoes cut up in slivers

4-5 olives, halved

4-5 capers, drained

1//2 bell pepper, roasted and chopped

a handful of pasta, any shape

2 tsp olive oil

To make pesto, grind together basil leaves, garlic, pine nuts, parmesan cheese and stream in olive oil till it forms a smooth paste. Add some salt for taste and keep 1/2 cup aside at room temperature. Cover the extra pesto with olive oil and it will keep in the fridge for atleast a week.

Cook the pasta in boiling, salted water and drain and toss it while hot with olive oil. In a bowl put a couple of table spoons of the starchy pasta water, pesto sauce and add hot pasta and rest if the ingredients. Toss again. Garnish with basil leaves, more parmesan cheese and serve.

I have to confess I was a little too generous with the salt. So with the salty parmesan, salty capers, salty olives and salty pasta water the end product was..yes-you-guessed-correct-and-no you-don't-get-a-prize...salty!

Nevertheless, I'm not giving up on this pasta. I hope I have a better sense of proportion the next time round though.

Update! I made it again, skipped the pasta water, adjusted my scary proportion of parmesan and it turned out just the way I wanted.

Spaghetti and Meatballs

I love the idea of spaghetti and meatballs. On hungry nights I dream about a plateful of spicy meatballs and fresh, steaming spaghetti plucked off the spaghetti tree. Unfortunately, the bland turkey meatballs I've had outside have always fallen short of my expectations. They literally taste like meat boiled in water. So I made my own chicken meatballs, flavored with tons of garlic paste(2 heaping tablespoons to be precise) and green chillies.

I bought boneless thighs and ground them up at home. It was easier than I thought and the thigh meat, although higher in fat was really juicy. Plus I made a big batch and froze them. So I will have a heat and serve meal on my hands when I need it. It was easier than waiting for a table at some Italian restaurent.

Ingredients

4-5 boneless chicken thighs

2 tablespoons fresh garlic paste

1 small onion, finely chopped

1/2 cup chopped parsley

2 teaspoons of dried Italian herbs

4 green chillies, finely chopped

1 egg, beaten

1 palmful seasoned breadcrumbs

salt to taste

Mince the meat and add all the ingredients to it. If the mixture is too soggy add more breadcrumbs. Oil your palms and make small balls and keep aside. Heat up enough oil in a pan so that the meatballs won't stick and fry them on all sides till golden brown. Drain all the oil out by laying them on paper. At this point the balls will not be cooked through. You can either cook them in pasta sauce or in the oven. I put them on a sheet pan in a 400 degree oven for 35 mins.

Meatballs frying in hot oil! Note to self, buy a splatter screen.

I cooked the spaghetti till al dente and tossed with some store bought arrabiata sauce, sugar snap peas and green peas for crunch and color. And ofcourse, top it with parmesan cheese.

The finished product, we fought savagely over the scraps.

Next, I'm planning to make an Italian sub with the frozen meatballs. I'm thinking of putting the meatballs on a focaccia bread with tomatoes, onions and slices of pepper jack cheese and then grilling it openface. Will put photos of that when I do it.