Pasta Arabica
🌱Planted
March 6, 2024.
seedling 🌱
3 minutes read ⏱
One night after working I was hungry and feeling creatively inspired, so I decided to cook dinner. I asked Maya to put on a playlist of cultural music from the culture she wanted dinner to be inspired by. This playlist started playing as I began to dice garlic, and off to the Middle East we went!
The dish draws on some traditional and modern flavors that I’ve encountered in Middle Eastern food.
The recipe is published here upon request. We enjoyed it, and I hope you enjoy it too!
Ingredients
These ingredients makes 2 large servings or 3-4 moderate servings.
| Ingredient | Amount |
|---|---|
| Garlic | 1 bulb |
| Onion | 1/2 |
| Orange | 1/2 |
| Olive oil | 2 Tbsp |
| Tahini | 2 Tbsp |
| Ground beef/lamb | 1/2 lb |
| Balsamic vinegar | 1 Tbsp |
| Dry pasta | ~1 1/3 cup |
| Pomegranate molasses | 3 Tbsp |
| Kosher salt | 2-3 Tbsp |
| Za’atar | 2 Tbsp |
| Feta cheese | 4 Tbsp |
Prep
- Peel & dice the garlic
- Peel & dice 1/4 of the onion and slice the other 1/4
- Peel the orange, then peel the skin off the wedges of half the orange
- Bring 2-3 cups of water to boil on the side, ideally in a kettle
Steps
- Heat olive oil on medium heat
- Once hot, add in the dice garlic and onion. Fry until fragrant
- Add the ground beef and use a cooking utensil to separate it into small pieces
- Toss in peeled orange wedges and tahini, mixing until the tahini is evenly distributed
- Once the beef is cooked, add in balsamic vinegar to deglaze the pan
- Add in pasta and just enough water to submerge it. Set a timer for the amount of time needed to cook the pasta
- Stir in sliced onions, pomegranate molasses, and 2 Tbsp kosher salt
- Stir occasionally until pasta is cooked, adding boiling water as needed if the water has all boiled off. Season to desired saltiness.
- After the pasta is cooked, reduce liquid to desired viscosity and serve in a bowl. Top with za’atar and feta cheese.