This pasta was sooo delicious and flavorful. Toasting dried pasta was a new concept to me, but in the end it worked. I can't recommend this recipe highly enough.
Pasta with Carrots, Risotto-Style
We adapted this recipe from The Minimalist Cooks Dinner by Mark Bittman (Broadway Books, 2001). If you can't find the short, twisted "twin" pasta called gemelli, use penne instead.
Photo: Ben Fink
8 cups Chicken Stock
5 tbsp. butter
1 medium yellow onion, peeled and chopped
1 lb. gemelli (uncooked)
8 medium carrots, peeled, trimmed, and diced
1⁄2 cup freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Leaves from 4 sprigs parsley, chopped
1. Bring stock to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat to low to keep stock hot.
2. Melt 4 tbsp. of the butter in a medium heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, until they begin to brown, about 5 minutes. Add uncooked pasta and carrots and cook, stirring often, until pasta is lightly toasted, about 5 minutes.
3. Add 1 cup of the hot stock at a time to the pasta, stirring constantly; wait until almost all the stock has been absorbed before adding more. Continue cooking and adding stock (you may have some stock left over) until pasta is tender but firm to the bite, 10–15 minutes.
4. Remove pot from heat and stir in the remaining 1 tbsp. butter and the parmigiano. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to a warm serving dish and garnish with parsley. Serve with more freshly grated parmigiano, if you like.
SERVES 4 – 8
Ratings & Reviews (3)
Used mini campanelle pasta instead, and this turned out incredible. Would definitely make again.
What a wonderful dish! I had lots of whole carrots on hand and wanted a side dish that wasn't the standard glazed carrots. It all came together in no time at all while the salmon was grilling. Since the only non-spaghetti pasta in the pantry was orzo, I grated the carrots in my food processor so they'd cook evenly - which actually saved prep time - and followed the recipe exactly. Sauteed a bag of baby spinach with garlic slices, and a delicious and beautiful dinner was on the table in less than 30 minutes. This one's a keeper.
Pasta with Carrots, Risotto-Style
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