Pappardelle with Harissa, Olives and Capers | Ottolenghi #Simple

Yotam Ottolenghi publishes a new book titled Simple. Yes, just one word, simple, which has layers of meaning. This pappardelle with harissa, olives and capers recipe is one of the few in the book that epitomizes the essence of the very concept: S.I.M.P.L.E. — intended for busy cooks. Understand we’re all busy cooks in the digital age when time is measured by nanoseconds. When you are…

S: short on time, don’t want to deal with

I: ingredients no more than ten in the recipe and desire food

M: made ahead, you’ve come to the right place. There’s nothing more convenient than going into the

P: pantry for everyday ingredients and make

L: lazy-day dishes that’s

E: easier than you think.

That’s how Ottolenghi’s explains his new cookbook Simple. I am sold on the book even before I read any reviews, partly because I’ve cooked and baked so many of Ottolenghi’s recipes. He always comes up with the goods. I can’t say that about other cookbooks with which I’ve wasted precious time and frustrated by the outcome. So I stay loyal to my favorite well-tested chef recipes from Plenty, Plenty More, Lopi, Sweet and now, Simple. So how does this recipe in the new book compare?

Using Ottolenghi’s own criteria, there are four big words he expects from a plate of food: abundance, bounty, freshness and surprise. All his cookbooks deliver that and my first look at pappardelle with harissa, olives and capers recipe in Simple is no exception. Not every recipe in Simple has all six of the  S-I-M-P-L-E labels on them. This one does and that’s why I pick it.

Here is my take on the title, simple, as well as the concept. The terms, short on time, ingredients, make ahead, pantry, lazy and easy are used rather loosely in the book, if not overreaching. It’s debatable how quick and easy a recipe is. I may not be spending time in the kitchen prepping or cooking, but I have to spend time hunting down the ingredients. I’ll get into that later. Even after securing the right ingredients, it is not entirely easy or straightforward working with new ingredients for the first time. I keep on taste-testing the harissa tomato sauce with a spoon, looking puzzled. The problem is, I don’t know what to expect.

Rose harissa, a key ingredient in North African cooking, is not a pantry item in my kitchen. You may get it on Amazon, but at a fairly steep price. It’s a no go. Meanwhile, I found a harissa recipe on Jerusalem, which is a project on its own. So I resolved to make the harissa dry spice mix, hoping that it will get me more than halfway to the finished taste of rose harissa. Supposedly, rose harissa has rose petals in it. I threw in a few drops of rose water for good measure.

Everyday ingredients: cherry tomatoes, olives, capers, onion and parsley. Rose harissa and pappardelle are more difficult to source.

The ingredient hunt does not stop there. Have you tried buying pappardelle in the grocery store? Not as easy as I’ve expected. I don’t eat a lot of pasta. I prefer making my own, fresh from scratch with organic eggs and flour. In the end, I don’t cook with pasta that much since it’s time consuming to make fresh pasta. You can buy handmade pappardelle from Whole Foods — but not at $7.99 a pound. I found some dry pappardelle, at a bargain price of half the cost of the fresh one!

I rest my case regarding the “simplicity” of the dish. Minimum hassle — I would say no. Maximum joy — a resounding yes. My husband loves the dish. The unfamiliar and, say, surprising flavor of the harissa sauce does a lot to awaken our senses, in a good way.

Print Recipe

Pappardelle with Rose Harissa, Black Olives and Capers

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large onion, thinly sliced (220g)
• 3 tbsp rose harissa (or 50% more or less, depending on variety: see p.301) (45g)
• 400g cherry tomatoes, halved
• 55g pitted Kalamata olives, torn in half
• 20g baby capers
• 500g dried pappardelle pasta (or another wide, flat pasta)
• 15g parsley, roughly chopped
• 120g Greek-style yoghurt
• salt
• HOMEMADE HARISSA:
• 1 red pepper
• 1/2 tsp coriander seeds
• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
• 1/2 tsp caraway seeds
• 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 small red onion, coarsely chopped (scant 2/3 cup / 90 g in total)
• 3 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
• 3 hot red chiles, seeded and coarsely chopped
• 1 1/2 tsp tomato paste
• 2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp salt

Instructions

1

Put the oil into a large sauté pan, for which you have a lid, and place on a medium high heat. Once hot, add the onion and fry for 8 minutes, stirring every once in a while, until soft and caramelised. Add the harissa, tomatoes, olives, capers and ½ teaspoon of salt and continue to fry for 3–4 minutes, stirring frequently, until the tomatoes start to break down. Add 200ml of water and stir through. Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium low, cover the pan and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove the lid of the sauce and continue to cook for 4–5 minutes, until the sauce is thick and rich. Stir in 10g of the parsley and set aside.

2

Meanwhile, fill a large pot with plenty of salted water and place on a high heat. Once boiling, add the pappardelle and cook according to the packet instructions, until al dente. Drain well.

3

Return the pasta to the pot along with the harissa sauce and 1/8 teaspoon of salt. Mix together well, then divide between four shallow bowls. Serve hot, with a spoonful of yoghurt and a final sprinkle of parsley.

4

HOMEMADE HARISSA:

5

Place the pepper under a very hot broiler, turning occasionally for about 25 minutes, until blackened on the outside and completely soft. Transfer to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and allow to cool. Peel the pepper and discard its skin and seeds.

6

Place a dry frying pan over low heat and lightly toast the coriander, cumin, and caraway seeds for 2 minutes. Remove them to a mortar and use a pestle to grind to a powder.

7

Heat the olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat, and fry the onion, garlic, and chiles for 10 to 12 minutes, until a dark smoky color and almost caramelized.

8

Now use a blender or a food processor to blitz together all of the paste ingredients until smooth, adding a little more oil if needed.

9

Store in a sterilized jar in the fridge for up to 2 weeks or even longer.

Notes

https://ottolenghi.co.uk/pappardelle-with-rose-harissa-black-olives-and-capers-shop