2009/04/26

Casarecce Pasta with San Marzano, Pan Roasted Garlic, Capers & Cannellini

Kudos to Whole Foods for introducing a stellar private label pasta, all organic to boot and Italian in origin to put a cherry on top. Great pasta, with a very simple sauce. The Thrice Reduced technique reappears here. The capers were nothing fancy, just the citric acid variety under the 365 Brand; San Marzano tomatoes from Italy (still cheap, worth more than you pay). The garlic was pan roasted inside the skin to keep if from burning.

From gastronomic guesswork

The garlic was brought to a sizzle in 1/4 cup olive oil, then gently cooked for 20 minutes on low heat. The cloves were removed, drained of oil, and then peeled. The San Marzano were added to the garlic oil with half a small bottle of drained capers and reduced twice, incorporating a cup of water following reduction. After the second reduction, the roasted garlic was chopped and added to the sauce, then the sauce was again reduced after adjusting the seasoning with kosher salt. After the third reduction, a can of drained / rinsed cannellini beans was added with a 1/2 cup of water for a fourth reduction. This topped the Whole Foods organic casarecce pasta.

From gastronomic guesswork

Totally minimalist flavor profile, not putanesca, but evoking some of the same familiar flavors.