Friday, June 18, 2010

Best Pasta Ever ...

or I was really hungry.


It was also really, really quick to throw together.


I boiled some fettuccine - but you could use anything.
Conchiglie - (pasta shells) or orecchiette would also work.


In a pan with a little olive oil I caramelized some onions and pine nuts. I cut the onion in long
slices instead of a dice. At the very end I added some big chunks of garlic.


When the pasta was almost done, I took about a 1/4 cup of the pasta
water - and poured it over some crumbled feta cheese - and then
stirred. This became part of the sauce.


I had grape tomatoes I sliced in half - about 1 cup or 4oz. And also a
1/4 cup or so of chiffonaded basil.


After I drained the pasta, I put it back into the pasta pot.


Dumped the feta/water into the pasta and stirred, stirred, stirred, until I had a creamy sauce. (Don't expect a thick fake Alfredo sauce - this is a thin sauce, but packs a nice flavor punch)


Then I added the toms and the olive oil/onion/pine nut/garlic
mixture.


Finally I added the basil.


A few cranks of the pepper mill - and some sea salt - and dinner was on!


Pasta w Feta Cheese Sauce Tomatoes & Pignoles


Serves 2


10 cups water - well salted


1/2 lb pasta




1 tsp Olive Oil


1/2 cup sliced onion


1/4 cup pignoles (pine nuts)


2 large cloves garlic - rough chop


1 cup sliced grape tomatoes


1/4 cup basil - cut into a chiffonade


1/4-1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper


1/4 teaspoon sea salt (or Kosher salt)


Bring salted water to boil - add pasta.


Cook 8-9 minutes (or until al dente)


While water comes to a boil & pasta is cooking:
Sautee onions in olive oil over medium low heat (you want them to slowly cook and caramelize)
When there's 4 minutes left before the pasta is done, add pignoles to onion mixture


Before draining pasta remove & reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water


Drain pasta & return to pasta pot


Add feta cheese to the pot - and pasta water 1 Tbls at a time


Stir until sauce develops - maybe mashing a few of the bigger crumbles


While stirring feta/pasta add garlic to onion/pine nut mixture


Add sliced grape tomatoes to pasta/feta, then add sauté mixture


Mix well


Add pepper - correct salt level


Serve!

5 comments:

Gina Eaves said...

Hmmmmmmm...this sounds like the perfect concoction for a Gina visit! :-)

Anonymous said...

Sounds delish ! tp

Ally said...

You had me at 'Feta'.

:o)

Keetha said...

Have mercy does that sound good!

Michele said...

Yum! I've done cut and dump pasta many a time. Sometimes good, sometimes not so good. This sounds good.