Friday, February 18, 2011

Jamie Oliver's Pasta with a double sauce







I am not sure why I bought this pack of pasta, I think it was because I never seen it before, because it was on special, and because in that supermarket they didn't have Barilla (my safe supermarket choice, since here the pasta selection is extremely limited). The price, similar to quality pasta like Garofalo (obviously Garofalo pasta is more expensive in NZ, and it is only found in some deli stores), wasn't appealing, even on special it was still more expensive that other pasta, but I was also curious.

In the end I found it to be pretty similar to Barilla, with the difference that Barilla has a better package (card board, that I can recycle, I try to buy very little wrapped in not-recyclable plastic). Maybe Jamie should also consider doing an eco package... :-).

Anyway, with and expensive pasta I thought of doing a double sauce, since this was also our main.


The first sauce (base)




I made an easy tomato sauce for the base:



Ingredients
2 x 400 g / 14 oz cans Italian peeled tomatoes
2 garlic cloves
salt to taste
2 tbsp olive oil
a few fresh basil leaves
Deli olives, mixed.


Place the content of the two Italian peeled tomato cans into a blender. Add two cloves of garlic, peeled, and blend until smooth. Put the “juice” into a large frying pan, and some water from rinsing the cans (optional). Bring to boil and then simmer, stirring from time to time, for at least 30 minutes, or until the sauce is so thick that when you stir it with a wooden spoon you can see the bottom of the pan (this is very important! most people undercook their tomato sauce and so it remains acidic!). At this point as the salt to taste, the olive oil, the fresh leaves of basil and a few olives (choose good deli olives in olive oil, not olives in vinegar. Good quality olives in brine are suitable, but rinse them well first.. Cover and keep aside, warm, until needed.









The second sauce (topping)






Ingredients
Runner beans, whashed
2 tbsp etra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves
1 glass white wine
salt to taste (very little, because feta is also salty)
100 g goat feta
Freshly ground black pepper





My mother in law had some runner beans in the garden so I cut them and pass them in olive oil and garlic. When they started to sizzle I added one glass of white wine. When the wine was absorbed I added  a little water and a little pinch of salt, covered them and let them simmer for a while. Runner beans can take a long time, depending on how big or old they are. These were fresh out of the garden, but big, and they took about 30-40 minutes simmering on the lowest setting







Once the beans were ready (all the liquid was gone) I added some goat feta and lots of freshly grated black pepper, and stirred.




To assemble





Cook the pasta al dente, drain and toss in the pan with the tomato and olive sauce. Divide between 4-5 plates, then top each plate with the beans. The two sauce mix together as you eat, in an ... let's say... harmonious way? Let me know if you have a better adjective!


Please note: This is not a Jamie Oliver's recipe, the sauces are my own.




Photos and Recipes by Alessandra Zecchini ©










Also a reminder about the February giveaway:
to win this Japanese set click here.











23 comments:

  1. This looks sensational! And thanx for the tip about cooking the tomato pasta sauce - I think I've been guilty of undercooking ...

    Have a wonderful day!

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  2. Dear Alessandra
    Thank you so much for the great tips on making sauce, of course such tips can come from you only.
    Will try soon. I am off blog, so you dont see my postings.
    Have a nice weekend

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  3. Pasta looks delicious, sauce awesome. Love it.

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  4. @ Red Nomad, you know, lots of people told me that learning to cook tomato sauce properly has changed their life! :-)

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  5. Ciao Ale, che bella questa pasta di Jamie, quì da noi non l'ho mai vista, non che manchi la pasta, sia ben chiaro, ma sarei proprio curiosa di assaggiare quella!!!! ;)
    ciao e a presto

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  6. Mah Valentina, non so se vale la pena venderla in Italia, anche se la fanno in Italia. Ma lui e' famoso anche li'?

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  7. Few pasta brands can be compared with Garofalo, doesn't it?
    Personally I dont' like Barilla very much, and I would tried Jamie's pasta as you did.Anyway with sauces like yours...any kind of pasta can be supreme!Baci

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  8. oddio che fame! Qui sono esattamente le 12.44 e leggere una ricetta del genere è una tortura vera (soprattutto se poi uno mangia l'insalata...) P.S. quella pasta in Italia non l'ho mai vista, ma magari sono stonata io!

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  9. Non sapevo che ora Jamie facesse anche pasta con il suo marchio...

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  10. neanche io sapevo che Jamie producesse pasta.......mi auguro che sia di buona qualità!!

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  11. ha l'aria appetitosa questo sugo... non sapevo che esistesse anche la pasta "oliver" :-)

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  12. mmm....il sugo è davvero fantastico....strepitoso!!!! Di Jamie sapevo esistevano solo libri!!! Un bacione

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  13. Allora deduco che in Italia non esista 'sta pasta!

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  14. sono daccordissimo, oggigiorno bisogna pensare più ECO.
    ma era buona?

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  15. La pasta non era male, non la garofalo, simile alla barilla.

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  16. Ciao,piacere di conoscerti e complimenti per la ricetta.
    La pasta non la conoscevo, comunque il risultato a vedersi sembra ottimo.
    Un saluto e un buon fine settimana.
    Fausta

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  17. Ciao è la prima visita e trovo il tuo blog molto bello e interessante, mi sono aggiunta ai tuoi sostenitori, così posso seguirti!!!
    Se ti fa piacere passa a trovarmi.
    Alla prossima e buon week end

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  18. potresti inviare la ricetta a Jamie e fargli notare come è stata rivalutata la "sua" pasta con il tuo super sugo ^____^

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  19. Very nice recipe! The photos are great too!!
    Peace :)

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  20. Love the sauce making tips - never think of combing runner beans with pasta, looks delicious!

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  21. Ciao Alessandra, grazie per essere stata sul mio blog! Mi godrò il tuo con calma, mi piace! :-)
    Un abbraccio

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  22. Ciao Caterina, e benvenuta, mi piace il tuo avatar :-)

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