There is no getting away from it, I love pasta. In summer, with soft and fragrant aubergine in Pasta alla Norma, or with courgettes and garlic, in winter more comfort dishes like meatballs or sauces made with sausages. Penne with pesto is a plate of perfection, and what beats the delight of a good lasagne. Whoever wrote this graffiti spotted in the centre of the city obviously agrees with me.
I had planned to make Molly Baz’s chorizo and chickpea carbonara this week as it sounded a bit different and would force my hand in making a carbonara (ie not fear ending up making pasta with scrambled eggs). However, after reading this piece on what should be a carbonara, linked from Sophie Hansen’s 5 Things to be Cheerful newsletter, I had second thoughts. Chickpeas in a carbonara? Hmm…..maybe not.
Anyway, I also had mushrooms to use up, so decided to make a typical dish you would find in this house on any weekday night. Those of you who have stopped by in previous posts will be familiar with in its different incarnations I am sure.
This week’s version included shallots, mushrooms, pink peppercorn and fennel salami, some silver beet that had to be used, and of course parmesan and parsley to sprinkle. I also squeezed in a bit of tomato paste and a couple of finely chopped sun dried tomatoes for texture and colour. Of course I added pasta water to help make a sauce and couple of dollops of crème fraîche too. There was a bowl of a radiccio based salad on the side.
How authentic is this to any Italian dish? Not at all. How tasty was it? Very. Will I make again? Well, some sort of variety of this dish yes.
This well be entered in the What’s on Your Plate blog challenge hosted by Canadian bloggers Widow Badass and Retirement Reflections. This goes live on the first Wednesday of each month and you can join in too with a food related post, just by adding yours to their linkup.
Thistles and Kiwis is a Wellington, New Zealand based blog written by Barbara, who likes cats, summer, good food and pretends to garden.
You can find Thistles and Kiwis on Facebook, and also on Instagram @thistlesandkiwis. If you want to get in touch, email me on thistlesandkiwis@gmail.com or lofgren@thistlesandkiwis.com
Thistles and Kiwis 
I love your rifts on pasta! I think this is one of those dishes which allow so much creativity & seasonal eating. I do enjoy reading pasta recipes because I learn new techniques each time. Or rather, I’m reminded of different techniques which make a pasta better 😜😆❤️
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So much can be done with pasta!
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I love pasta, too, and your dish illustrates how wonderfully versatile it is.
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Always such a comfort dish too.
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Oh I love the look of this pasta Barbara!
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Can’t beat pasta! Exactly what I’m planning to cook tonight. I also tend to improvise with whatever is at hand rather than following recipes. Yours looks delicious, though I would substitute the sausage with something vegetarian.
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My dear husband is a such a carnivore…we have a joke in our house of me making ‘vegetarian pasta with bacon on the side’.
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Pasta is a welcome dish for me too and lends itself to being re-invented with a sauce made from whatever is left in the kitchen.
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Yes you are so right.
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Thanks, Barbara – I have some mushrooms to use up as well. You have just given me a good idea!! 😀
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Enjoy!
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As a dedicated potato fan, I think that any pasta is always second best but your meal looks very tasty all the same.
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I confess that my favourite food of all time is mashed potatoes.
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I used to really love all things pasta when I was younger. Now it is an occasional dish. Yours would be perfect for such an occasion!
Deb
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Love dishes like this… besides I reckon any Italian kitchen with these ingredients would do the same which, therefore, makes it authentic. The rules according to Jo.
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Love your rules Jo!
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I wasn’t hungry for dinner until I read your post. Now I have ideas for dinner!
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I really enjoyed this pasta…so much I saw your pasta.Anita
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That sounds delicious! I am a huge pasta fan as well.
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Having pasta is a treat for me, and this one looks treat worthy! I love the way you improvise with ingredients. I like doing that too. I can picture a little shaved brussels sprouts and maybe some crumbled pancetta in this dish.
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