Love, Blossoms And Butterflies - In a Bowl of Pasta

If shoes, romance and opera weren't the first things that came to your mind when you heard the word Italian, it's fair to presume you were thinking straight from the gut. (Football lovers...no offense.) The thing that came to my mind (before pizza and Italian hotties) was pasta.

Sure, I may be reading the room wrong here but maybe it's time to profess my love out loud. I LOVE pasta! In a million ways. I love it to every chunk of tomato, every velvety string of mozzarella, every crumble of pesto and to every splash of wine! Let's face it. There's something in it for everyone. Kids love it for cheese. Adults love it for healthier versions of flavor-bursting sauces (and cheese). And cooks... May I speak for all cooks when I say there's no greater joy in cooking a memorable pasta? There's not a single cook I know who doesn't have a go-to pasta recipe. I can cook Arrabbiata on auto-pilot. I can cook a Jain version of it with pantry basics and fresh tomatoes and it'll just taste as great.

Of late, however, I have this inexplicable wanderlust which is leading me to kitchen experiments like never before. So, in an attempt to take my bowl of pasta around the world, I thought of playing a little cupid and getting a bit of Moroccan 'swag' to my red sauce. I mean, it should be a marriage made in pasta heaven. Italy and Morocco are both Mediterranean in essence, right?

So how did I bring a twist to my pasta sauce to tone down that fiery rouge and give it that rosy 'first love' kind of blush instead?
I may have given the answer away, you know.

Farfalle in creamy rose-harissa sauce with pine nuts, sun-dried tomatoes and feta cheese.

This sauce combines the flavors of grilled smoked chillies, ripe tomatoes and rose petals to give you a wonderfully balanced, unusually refreshing flavor. The thing is I make harissa regularly, the lazy cook that I am. Harissa happens to be this inventive North African dip that goes with everything - bakes, grilled veggies, pan-fried fish. And this lovely rose petal harissa, inspired by a Jamie Oliver recipe, is one that elevates even your plain-jane grilled something-something to a smoky, swanky delight.

So I thought, you know, what's the worst that can happen if I swirl it into a bowl of pasta?

And it blew our minds! Butterfly-shaped pasta immersed in a sauce blended with ripe, juice tomatoes and fresh fragrant blossoms of rose petals with spicy, smoky hints of chilli. I reinvented it with cream and feta cheese for a pinker-looking sauce. Besides, the creaminess of Feta mellows down the fiery temper of chilli. Add to that the earthy crunch of toasted pine nuts and the playful, tangy notes of sun-dried tomatoes and you have yourself an irresistible recipe. There's butterflies, there's blossoms and there's cheese. Coupled with a glass of sparkling wine, this one's sure to make your hearts flutter.

OK, maybe I'm overselling it a tad. But if I've piqued our curiosity enough, here is the recipe. Feel free to control the heat level to your delight.

(Note: You can stock up on the Harissa and store it in the refrigerator to be used later. It stores well for up to two weeks.)

Farfalle in Creamy Rose-Harissa Sauce with Pine Nuts, Sun-dried Tomatoes and Feta Cheese
Serves: 3 (Preparation Time: 1 hr 30 minutes.)

What You Need:
300 gms Del Monte Farfalle pasta
Feta Cheese - 1/4 cup grated
Fresh Cream - 1/4 cup
Sun-dried tomatoes  - 1/2 tablespoon
1/4 cup Pine Nuts - toasted till fragrant (You may also substitute with walnuts)

For the Harissa Sauce:
4 ripe tomatoes, quartered
6-7 fresh red chillies (broken)
4 cloves garlic (unpeeled)
Olive Oil - 5-6 tablespoons
Sea Salt
Coarsely ground pepper
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
1 teaspoon paprika
A handful of rose petals, washed
4 tablespoons rose water
2 tablespoons caster sugar
A splash of red wine vinegar
Extra Virgin Olive Oil

For Garnishing:
Rose Petals
Parmesan Cheese - slivered
Parsley - chopped

Method:
I. Harissa Sauce Preparation
1. First, make the harissa sauce. Preheat the oven to 160 degrees C. On a baking tray, spread the tomatoes, cut side up, along with fresh red chillies and unpeeled cloves of garlic. Drizzle generously with olive oil and sea salt. Roast in the oven for an hour.

2. After an hour, remove from the baking tray and set aside to cool. De-seed the chillies and peel the garlic. I already de-seeded mine before putting them in the oven to control the heat.(You can also place them under water to get the seeds out.)

3. Blend together cloves of garlic and chillies until roughly chopped. Now toss in coriander seeds, cumin seeds, paprika, salt and pepper. Blend until smooth.

4. Then, add the tomatoes, rose petals, rose water and sugar. Pulse briefly so you get specks of tomatoes and rose petals in your sauce.
Note: Roses are in plenty, no doubt. But you want to make sure your roses are chemical-free. I got mine from an aunt's flower pot. Opt for edible dried rose petals otherwise.

5. Transfer to a bowl and mix in a splash of red wine vinegar and extra virgin olive oil. Your harissa is now ready.

Special Tip: For more fragrant, deeper flavors, make it the night before using it for your pasta.

II. Pasta Preparation:
1. Bring a large pan of water seasoned with a generous amount of salt and two tablespoons of olive oil to boil. When the water reaches boiling point, drop Farfalle pasta into it. Cook according to the pack instructions until al dente.

Note: Al dente really means you want to have a soft texture when you bite into it but it has to meet with an ever-so-slight resistance when you chew. (As opposed to just melting away.)

2. Drain onto a colander and refresh immediately with cold water. The reason you do that is when your pasta gets to this immaculate state, you don't want the heat to cook it any further. Drizzle with olive oil and leave aside for five minutes.

3. In a wok, heat some olive oil. On a moderately high flame, add the harissa sauce. Stir in cream until it turns a lovely coral orange. Blend well.

4. Now toss in farfalle with sundried tomatoes and toasted pine nuts and grated feta cheese. Toss vigorously on high flame for 2-3 minutes until the cheese starts to melt and the sauce is well-infused.

5. To serve, finish with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a garnish with parsley. Decorate with rose petals and slivers of parmesan.

If you like this recipe, you're going to love a host of innovative, lip-smacking pasta recipes as offered by Del Monte on:

https://www.facebook.com/DelMonteIndia

Bon Appetit!