- Jas
Garlic Achaar Pasta
The Mother's Day recipes continue!
One thing that screams family time to me is BBQs.
For those of you who know me, you might wonder where I'm going with this for Mother's Day, since most of the moms in my life are vegetarian. Mom, massis, pooas, and even some of my cousins who are moms, vegetarians. But we always had great BBQs with lots of vegetarian options.
My mom makes amazing potato salad, with lots of freshly chopped chilis. It's the only one I like and I look forward to it every summer. Plus I was always trying out new dips! Cheesy corn dips, and mango salsas. And not to make you guys jealous but my mom makes amazing guacamole too!
One BBQ staple we had, that I wasn't ever particularly excited about was the pasta salad. It's your standard dressing and veggies. My mom eventually found a dressing she really liked for it, but I wouldn't have included it in my list of special foods or must haves for family gatherings.
Fast forward to a few weeks ago, and I grabbed a jar of Brooklyn Delhi's Roasted Garlic Achaar.
I'm a huge fan of Brooklyn Delhi's products. I have yet to try them all but some of them are staples in our kitchen now, and I was excited to try this one because I LOVE garlic. I actually wasn't sure at first what I wanted to try it with. Ultimately I was so excited I just opened it up and dipped a little spoon in the jar to find out.
Oh my god it was so good! I don't know why I didn't expect it to be lemony, considering it says it on the jar, but I loved it. It was perfectly tangy, it had some heat that I really enjoyed, and the lemony flavor was just what I wanted for spring and summer.
I was thinking about what to pair this achaar with. In reality, I wanted to put it on everything. But a few days later, Brooklyn Delhi actually posted a picture of a pasta using the Roasted Garlic Achaar and my mouth watered! It looked so good! The post mentioned it could be served hot or cold, like a pasta salad.
What more sign did I need?
I searched the comments and their site for a recipe but did not see one. Ultimately, I ended up zooming into the picture to see what ingredients I could pick out and then decided to wing it!
The pasta turned out so amazing, I have to share it here. The original picture topped the pasta with shaved parmesan, but I decided to mix it up and top it off with burrata. Not only did it look picture perfect, this big dollop of creamy burrata in the center of this colorful plate, but the creamy cheese was great with this flavor packed pasta!
One thing I learned while winging it, is you have to take the burrata out about 30 minutes before serving to let it get to room temperature. You can also warm it up by letting it sit in warm water for about 10 minutes before removing it and patting dry any excess water. I didn't know any of that in the moment, but I can assure you that even having messed it up, this pasta was so good. I was genuinely sad when it was gone.
On our daily call that night, I told my mom I was adamant I would make this for her next time I'm home.
While I'm not sure how soon that will be, I hope that if you try this out for your mom this weekend, you savor the memory of another wonderful meal shared with a loved one.
To find Brooklyn Delhi products, check your local Whole Foods or ordered online. I mentioned how much I love mom and pop shops. While this business isn't local to me, it's a small business that makes an amazing product. This definitely won't be the last time I gush about their achaars and sauces!
Ingredients:
1 lb of pasta (I used rotini, but you can use the pasta of your choice)
1 jar of Brooklyn Delhi Roasted Garlic Achaar
1 bunch of asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces
1 cup of frozen peas
1 shallot, minced
olive oil
burrata or shaved parmesan to top
cilantro (optional for garnish)
Directions:
If using burrata, set out on the counter so it can get to room temperature.
Cook pasta as directed on the box, and set aside.
In the same pot, or another pot if you are working while the pasta cooks, heat some olive oil.
Add your shallot to the pot and cook 2-4 minutes until translucent, stirring frequently to avoid burning. Timing may depend on how finely you mine the shallot, or how hot your burner gets (I really miss having a gas stove).
Add the asparagus and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. You will see the asparagus turn a beautiful green.
Add the frozen peas and cook for another 1-2 minutes, stirring occasionally. The frozen peas do not need long to cook.
Add in the pasta and coat with some more olive oil to toss as necessary so the pasta doesn't stick too much.
Add in the jar of Brooklyn Delhi Roasted Garlic Achaar, and toss to make sure all the veggies and pasta are nicely coated. (I did not need any additional salt or pepper, the achaar really does all the heavy lifting, but you can season to taste as necessary).
Drizzle more olive oil as needed. You can make this pasta on the dry side if you prefer by adding a little achaar at a time, or if you like a saucier pasta, add more olive oil.
Plate the pasta when done and top with the burrata or shaved parmesan. I also used cilantro for garnish. For a pasta salad, you could even make this a day ahead and refrigerate!
I really hope you'll give this recipe a try. Honestly, I think I'm going to make it again, and I only just made it last week!
Bon appetit!
