Pasta a la Paella
Serves 2.
Ingredients:
- Enough long noodles to fit tightly within your encircled forefinger and thumb - the traditional 2-person serving.
- 1 tin smoked oysters, drained and rinsed to remove any oil.
- 1/2 head of garlic
- 1 cup white wine
- 4-6 merguez sausages depending on size, sliced into 1/2” pieces
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 tsp saffron
- 1 rounded tbsp turmeric
- 1/4 cup medium-sized Spanish red onion, minced
- Roast the Garlic. Heat your oven to 400-450 degrees. Take a whole head of garlic, halve it, put the other half away for later! Slice the tops off the cloves, keeping the bunch together. Put this half-head of garlic in a small oven-ready dish (a creme brul?e cup is perfect.) Cover with tinfoil to help steam the garlic into submission. I estimate about 15-20 min roasting time depending on your oven. You’ll know if it’s done if the garlic inside the peel looks golden and caramelized, and scoops out like butter (in fact, a butter spreading knife is perfect for this).
- Prepare the Pasta. Bring 4-5 liters of water to a rolling boil (but you can’t make them drink! ha! ha!), add 1 tbsp sea salt when boiling. Break noodles in half and submerge. Depending on level of al dente-ness desired, leave in for 4-8 minutes. Do not overboil. Do not rinse pasta afterwards - otherwise the sauce will slide off the noodles. Drain pasta and keep handy in a colander.
- Prepare The Sauce. In a wide, 2-inch deep saucepan over medium heat, drizzle about 1-2 tbsp olive oil. Sauté the roasted garlic but be careful not to burn it. (Go ahead and smoosh it up if you want.) Add the merguez pieces and smoked oysters. Sauté for about 3 minutes, adding onions if desired. Add white wine. Add turmeric, stirring to ensure it dissolves. Lower heat and simmer for about 4 minutes. Add saffron.
- Toss pasta in with sauce, simmer it in until noodles are properly coated. You’re done!
Recommended wine: Spanish Tempranillo or Rioja.
May 29, 2003 4:17 PM
