Chef Abraham Jacob (fondly known as Chef Abe), Co-founder of Recode Hospitality, has penned down a soon to be launched recipe book, which is a collection of the recipes that he made before and during the period of lockdown. The idea behind each of these recipes is simplicity in terms of ingredients, dishes and ease of cooking at home.
To deal with the lockdown boredom, Chef and family outlined a food project and decided that for every meal over a period of sixty days, would cook something new, varied and exciting. Project covered recipes from the length and breadth of India, and a few stops abroad. To reach out to a wider audience he began by releasing short audio clips of the two characters he created – “Ansari Bhai” and “Micheal“. Ansari Bhai released short cooking tutorials on Dakhini recipes in “Cookurry ke do baathe, Ansari ke saathe” while, “Micheal – Oh, bleddy ‘ell”, offered his listeners a walk-through of old Bangalore’s food, life and charm through the eyes of an Anglo Indian.
Here’s a glimpse into the recipe of ‘Classic Pasta Amatriciana’ that you can also try at home…
Classic Pasta Amatriciana
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Total Cook Time: 80 minutes
Recipe Servings: 5
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Difficulty Level: Medium
About Classic Pasta Amatriciana – An easy Italian tomato sauce, flavoured with crispy pancetta, sautéed onion and garlic, All’amatriciana is one of the most classical Italian pasta sauces. While there are a lot of different versions, for the most part, the sauce is made with a combination of ripe tomatoes, bacon, hard cheese and herbs. My variation is made with bacon, sautéed onion and garlic, fresh parsley, dried herbs, tomatoes and finished with a grating of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (Pecorino is a bit more traditional, but I generally prefer Parmigiano-Reggiano).
Ingredients-
2 Tbsp Extra virgin Olive oil
30 gm Butter, unsalted
150 gm Pancetta or Bacon, diced
1 Onion, diced
6-8 Garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbsp Tomato paste
8-10 Tomato’s, ripe, chopped
For the garnish
Cherry tomatoes
Olives
Ham (optional)
50 gm Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, finely grated (plus more for serving)
Salt
2 Tbsp Parsley
350 gm dried Fusilli pasta or any type available
1 Tblsp dried herbs (thyme, rosemary, oregano)
How to Make –
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the diced bacon and cook, stirring frequently, until most of the fat has rendered into the pan and the bacon is crispy and caramelized slightly.
Add the diced onion and sauté in the rendered fat for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until the onions are soft and lightly caramelized.
Add the garlic and continue to sauté for an addition 2 to 3 minutes, being careful to avoid burning the garlic or onion. Deglaze the pan with a tablespoon of water or red wine (optional), to remove any bits of crispy pancetta or bits from the bottom of the pan.
Add the tomato paste and the dried herbs and continue to cook, stirring frequently, over medium heat for an addition 1 to 2 minutes, or until the paste has thickened slightly.
Add the tomatoes, bring the sauce to a low simmer, and cook, stirring every few minutes, for 15 to 20 minutes. The sauce should be relatively thick and season to taste with salt. Place over low heat while you cook the pasta.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add the pasta and cook until al-dente. Reserve 1/2 to 3/4 cup of the pasta cooking water in a measuring cup, and then drain the pasta. Return the drained pasta back into the pot, add the sauce, thinning with pasta cooking water as necessary until the pasta is evenly coated. Serve pasta with a topping of cherry tomatoes, olives, extra virgin olive oil and some grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.
