Monday, October 15, 2007

Spaghetti with chorizo and almonds

I made this Spanish pasta on a whim right before I commenced with my Chinese food themed week. I made this for lunch and it was really unique and delicious. I stayed pretty true to the recipe - there wasn't much need to mix it up.

Recipe from Gourmet Magazine:

For this Spanish-inspired pasta, you break the dried noodles and cook them more like rice — the result is a silky mix speckled with crunchy almonds, smoky chorizo, and aromatic saffron.
Active time: 30 minutes Start to finish: 35 minutes
Servings: Makes 4 servings. (and this is a true 4)

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 teaspoon crumbled saffron thoureads
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil plus additional for drizzling
6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
4 ounces Spanish chorizo (cured spiced pork sausage; not hot), cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 medium onion, finely chopped
12 ounces fideos (dried coiled vermicelli noodles) or angel-hair pasta or thin spaghetti, broken into 2-inch lengths
1 (14- to 19-ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
1/2 cup sliced almonds with skins, toasted

Preparation
Bring broth, water, wine, saffron, and 1/2 teaspoon salt to a boil in a small saucepan, then reduce heat and keep at a bare simmer.Heat oil in a 5- to 6-quart heavy pot over medium-high heat until it shimmers, then sauté garlic until pale golden, about 30 seconds. Transfer with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain. Add chorizo and sauté until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Transfer with slotted spoon to paper towels with garlic. Add butter to pot and sauté onion until golden, about 5 minutes, then add pasta and sauté, breaking up fideos with a wooden spoon, until golden, about 4 minutes. Add broth mixture and cook, covered, until all liquid is absorbed, about 6 minutes. Stir in chickpeas, chorizo, garlic, parsley, and salt and pepper to taste. Serve pasta sprinkled with almonds and drizzled with oil.

1 comment:

Janet W said...

This was so delicious, and I only had a bite. It reminded me of a pasta dish I've seen before called "hay and straw," though I'm not sure why because I actually didn't eat the dish; I may have just seen the recipe/picture.