Recipe
(adapted from “Conchiglie with yogurt, peas and chile” from Jerusalem, a Cookbook by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tammimi, serves 6)
Ingredients
2 cups (or 500g) Greek yogurt (2% is great, but nonfat works too)
2/3 cup olive oil
2 small (or 1 large) cloves garlic, crushed
1 lb (or 500g) frozen peas
1 lb (or 500g) conchiglie (large shell) pasta, or another shape that will hold a thick sauce
Scant 1/2 cup pine nuts
About 2 teaspoons red chile flakes (depending on your taste)
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
About 2 cups fresh basil leaves, coarsely torn if they’re large
8 oz (240g) feta cheese, broken into chunks
salt and freshly ground pepper
Instructions
1. Put the yogurt, about 6 tablespoons of the oil, the garlic and about 2/3 cup of the peas into a food processor fitted with the blade attachment. Blitz to a uniform pale green sauce and then transfer to a large mixing bowl. Bring a large pot of water to the boil for the pasta, and a medium pot for the peas.
2. Cook the pasta in plenty of salted water until al dente.
3. While the pasta is cooking, heat the remaining oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the pine nuts and chile flakes and fry for 4 minutes until the nuts are golden brown and the oil is a deep red. Set aside. Plunge the peas in the second pot of boiling water for just a few seconds and quickly drain them in a colander.
4. Ladle out and reserve about 1/2 cup of the pasta water and then drain the cooked pasta in a colander, shake well to remove the excess water, and add the pasta gradually to the bowl of green sauce. (Adding it all at once could cause the sauce to separate.) Add the warmed peas, basil, feta and 1 teaspoon salt and plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Toss gently, taste and adjust the seasoning. If the dish seems dry or the sauce seems sticky, add a little pasta water and toss again until the sauce is loose and silky.
5. Serve in individual bowls, topping each with a big spoonful of the pine nuts and their oil.
