Monday 30 March 2009

Orecchiette with Butter, Sage, Garlic and Parmesan.

If you read my blog regularly, you may remember me mentioning that I bought a new recipe book the other week. I've been after it for some time. It's called 'Big Flavours and Rough Edges' - Recipes from the Eagle. It's out of print, and copies are changing hands for over a £100. But, I found a second hand copy - condition 'Average' for a tenner - and practically chewed the sellers arm off. Apart from a preface page being ripped, its perfect....and seeing as how all my recipe books get well used and spattered with ingredients anyway, who cares. It's got some amazing recipes in it - I recommend it.

The Eagle pub on the Farringdon Road is one of my favourite gastro-pubs, the first gastro-pub, the place that started it all in fact, and although probably no longer the best, it's easily still in the top five. They sell the most amazing steak sandwich (and that recipe is what I was after when I purchased the book), but it's another recipe from the book I'm going to write about.

Last night, I cooked Orecchiette with Butter, Sage, Garlic and Parmesan and it was gorgeous, so simple, quick and cheap! with a scant 4 main ingredients. It's surprising sometimes how some of the most simple dishes are the tastiest. I've never used the Orecchiette pasta shape before, the recipe describes it as 'a chewy type of pasta that looks like the name suggests, little ears'.

Anyway - seeing as the books out of print, and to get your hands on this recipe your either going to have to shell out a £100+ or be really lucky like I was, I'll give you the recipe to try for yourself.

Orechiette with Butter, Sage, Garlic and Parmesan.

Serves 4

75g Unsalted Butter
450g Orecchiette Pasta
2 Garlic Cloves, crushed but left whole.
20 or so Sage leaves, finely chopped
4 Tbs freshly grated Parmesan Cheese.

Clarify the butter by melting it over the lowest possible heat and then skimming off the bits that float on top. Gently pour the clarified butter into a clean pan, discarding the curds (or is it Whey?) that will have collected at the bottom. Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a large pan of boiling salted water until al dente, then drain.

Heat the butter with the garlic cloves and sage. When the garlic just begins to brown, remove it and throw it away. Mix the butter and sage with the orecchiette and Parmesan.



8 comments:

Helen said...

I think the best pasta recipes are always the really simple ones. I'm posting my favourite on my blog soon in fact! It's making me get pasta cravings just looking at it. Oh the butter! Oh the sage! I think I need to make dinner now..

Hollow Legs said...

I have a pasta recipe that only uses 3 ingredients, and it's awesome. Simple is best. I just wish orecchiette was more readily available!

Oliver said...

I like the way you gently flavour the oil with the garlic - very delicate. The dish looks terrific. I agree with Lizzie and Helen: faites simple...

Dan said...

Helen - thanks - looking forward to reading your favourite pasta recipe.

Lizzie would you believe they sell orecchiette in Tesco's as part of their finest range. I was after De Cecco but couldn't find it anywhere, although G.Gazzano & Sons probably sell it. I'd Be interested to hear your pasta recipe as well, love pasta.

Oliver - yeah agreed it is a delicate method, and I wasn't sure it would be enough to get the flavour going - but the whole kitchen was infused with that gorgeous warm garlic butter smell, so it works.

Su-Lin said...

That's my kind of pasta dish - the easier the better!

Unknown said...

Butter and Sage is such a great combination

The Ample Cook said...

How simple and very delicious. Bet you licked the dish!

Alex said...

Love orechiette - an underated pasta, I think!

And well done on scoring the cookbook. I agree that the Eagle used to be ay-may-zing but isn't so fab anymore. Shame.