Ciao Amigos! This is going to be my first blog of the year and need I say how I wanted to post one much earlier but couldn’t and how guilt stricken that makes me feel. But without any further ado, let’s talk about food and recipes for that gives me an immense high.
The dish that I am going to talk about is “Cavatelli Pasta in Marinara Sauce”. Are you saying Mama Mia already?
Italian food is popular all over the world and have managed to catch the fancy of many. Although the cuisine is beyond pizzas and pastas but hey, lets face it, they have long become the quintessential comfort food that people love going back to again and again. As far as I am concerned, my exposure to Italian food have widened over the past couple of years but pasta is something that still fascinates me. Probably because of it’s numerous varieties available (e.g linguine, penne, fusilli etc) and various flexible cooking methods.
Needless to say, it was nothing but a sheer glee when I was gifted by my in-laws with a packet of “Cavatelli Pasta” and a “Parmigiano – Reggiano” (Parmesan Cheese) which they got from their Europe trip. I almost did a little jig in my head as I couldn’t contain the excitement of trying this variant of pasta for the first time ever.
Before I finally decided to cook cavatelli pasta, I looked up a bit for few references and found out it can be cooked in the same manner like other variants of pastas. Voila! within no time I zeroed in on cooking it in “Marinara Sauce” which is an authentic Italian sauce. However, technically the sauce can be called a combination of “Marinara” and “Arrabbiata” sauce because of the amount of dry red chillies used.
Read on for the recipe!
CAVATELLI PASTA IN MARINARA SAUCE
Italians love their pastas and more so when it’s “al-dente” which means half cooked or a little more than that which leaves a firm bite. But most of the Indians love it (read “ME” too) when it’s a little on the softer side yet gives you that much needed bite. Cavatelli pasta is boiled in the same manner as well.
INGREDIENTS
- Cavatelli Pasta – 300 gms
- Pork Sausages – 200 gms ( meat can be of your preference)
- Button Mushrooms – 8 Medium sized
- Spring onions – 3
- Broccoli – 5-6 big florets
- Roasted garlic – 1 teaspoon
- Chopped Coriander leaves – 1 teaspoon
- Extra virgin olive oil – 1.5 tablespoons
- Grated Parmesan Cheese – 1/2 Cup
- Chilli Flakes – 1/2 teaspoon
- Oregano – 1 teaspoon
For Sauce:
- Tomatoes – 3 small sized
- Garlic Cloves – 5
- Schezwan Sauce – 2 tablespoons
- Dry red chillies – 2
METHOD:
- Add a pinch of salt in hot water and boil the pasta for about 10 minutes. Be careful not to overcook it because it will get cooked a bit later as well. Once done, drain and set aside.
- For making the sauce, put all the mentioned ingredients (look up) in a blender and blend it till it becomes a nice puree. Keep aside.
- Cut the sausages and broccoli and button mushrooms into smaller chunks. Chop spring onions.
- Heat extra virgin olive oil in a pan. Add chopped spring onion in it and saute for a while. Add roasted garlic in it and mix.
- Add sausage chunks, mushrooms and broccoli in it and mix well. Cook it for about 7-10 minutes.
- Add the “Marinara” sauce prepared and Cavatelli pasta in the mixture and give it a nice mix.
- Add grated parmesan cheese, oregano and chilli-flakes and again mix everything well.
- Once done, place it in a pasta bowl and garnish with some more cheese and chopped coriander leaves. Serve hot!
It is said, “There is nothing more romantic than Italian food” and how can I resist myself from giving a hearty nod to that. After all, the cheesy, flavourful bite of the pasta never fail to tease and titillate you. Cavatelli Pasta in Marinara Sauce was the perfect dinner for us on a chilly night. To me, a pasta dish is cooked perfectly when the pasta is soft, yet has a bite and the veggies have a subtle crunch. But to be honest, it was the Parmigiano more than anything else which acted as a game changer. The flavour of the cheese was amazing and it amalgamated so beautifully with the other ingredients. The only thing that we probably missed having along with the was some red wine. Otherwise it was truly a “Buon Appetito” moment for us.
I always say “Every first is magical” and cooking this pasta for the first time and it turning out to be “delizioso” was nothing sort of magical. But the real kick was cooking a cuisine with the ingredients brought from that place (Oh yeah, it gives me a kick). I hope you all enjoyed the post and would try the recipe soon for how can you refrain yourself from whipping up this delectable Italian gourmet.
For any queries and suggestions, leave a comment in the section below.
Till then, Happy Munching & Keep Smiling! Ciao Amigos!
Love,
Shobhna
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