Mesta Village Pasta

From Epices de Cru via my friend Costas Halavrezos, my favorite Spice Man, usually found at the Historic Farmers Market on Saturday mornings in Halifax, NS

Printable Recipe

Prep time:  10 min
Cooking time: (as long as it takes to cook your pasta)... 10 minutes or so

Serves: 4

Ingredients:
2 cups grape tomatoes, halved
5 cured anchovies, finely chopped
1 lb/450 g short pasta
½ cup olive oil
½ cup pine nuts
¾ cup currants
6 garlic cloves, sliced
1 tbsp Mr Dionysios’ Herbs (I love this mix, it's like a a trip to the Greek Island of Chios)
1 tsp Pasilla de Oaxaca Chili Flakes (smoky and delicious)
¼ lb/225g Greek kefalotiri or Romano cheese

Directions:

1.    Chop anchovies finely. Halve the tomatoes. Slice the garlic. Set aside

2.    Cook pasta in salted boiling water, as per package directions.

3.    Heat oil in frying pan on medium heat.  Brown pine nuts for 1 minute & remove with slotted spoon.

4.    Fry currants until they puff up (about 1 minute) & remove.

5.    Next, add sliced garlic to oil.  Once golden, add Mr Dionysios’ Herbs & anchovies.  Cook for 1 minute.

6.    Add sliced tomatoes.  Return pine nuts & currants to frying pan.  Cook for 2 minutes, and add Pasilla de Oaxaca Chili Flakes.

7.    Drain pasta, reserving 1 cup of cooking water.  Pour pasta into large bowl.  Add contents of frying pan with ½ cup of pasta water.  Toss well.

8.    Wait a minute before drizzling more oil & adding half the grated cheese.  Toss pasta again.  Add pasta water if dish is too dry.

9.    Serve with extra chilli flakes & the remaining cheese.
NOTE: This time I added shrimp to the dish, since my Honey is not really a tomato fan.  I just did a quick saute of the shrimp over high heat in a little olive oil and lemon juice before tossing them in during step 7.