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| Food - Recipes | |
| Monday, 05 March 2007 | |
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Penne with Pistachios, Black Olives, and Blood Oranges
I called a friend of mine who always seems in control of everything in her life and asked her how she deals with depression if it ever hits her. She responded, ”I cook. Or I watch Agatha Christie. Or both.” The last time I was down in the dumps, I remembered what she said and thought I’d try to cook my blues away. It seemed like a good idea at the time, but I lost steam on the way to the kitchen. No elaborate meal, whatever I made had to require minimal preparation. This is a mix between a recipe I found for lemon pasta and some Martha Stewart biscotti. It is pasta with orange zest, black olives, and pistachios. I tried it first by heating the sauce, but after eating it, I decided it would be much better unheated, prepared almost like a pesto. I learned a few things with the first doses. First is toasted pistachios are better than untoasted. Second, don’t use too many black olives because they are cured and very salty. Third, add salt at the end, if necessary. The pistachios and olives bring enough salt of their own. Fourth and final, if you’re making this for a large group of people, try to use child labor or buy them already shelled!. Once you sit and break open 150 grams or more of pistachios, you’ll grasp the full meaning of “this is for the birds”.
This can all be prepared while the water for the pasta boils and the pasta cooks. Unless of course you like salted and toasted pistachios, in which case you’ll find that it’ll take twice as long because you’ll be eating up all your hard work. Chew on some gum while you prepare this, to speed things along.
For Two
Crack open the pistachios, and remove the skins to the best of your abilities. Zest the orange, making the strips as long as possible. Cut the strips into one inch pieces and set aside. Juice the orange. Put the pistachios in a food processor and pour in the olive oil slowly and then the orange juice until the mixture is creamy. It will resemble a beaten egg. Add the chopped herbs. Pour the mixture over the pasta, then add the zest and the chopped olives and toss until well mixed. Don’t worry if it looks a bit runny at first, it will solidify a bit after it sits a few minutes. Add salt if desired. Let pasta sit five minutes before serving, or serve cold.
Intro Photo by Chuck Koehler Internal Photo by K Gill: Bowl by guzzini, ostrich leg and wood tray by R&Y Augousti
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