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 ©
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