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Ottolenghi's Yogurt & Pea Pasta with Feta, Basil, & Chile Pine Nuts

Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Total Time15 minutes
Course: Main Dishes
Servings: 5 -6 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 pound 16 ounces of dried conchiglie pasta (shells); see notes
  • 2 1/4 cups of plain Greek yogurt
  • 1/2 cup of olive oil divided
  • 4 cloves of garlic crushed or minced
  • 1 pound of fresh or THAWED frozen peas divided
  • Scant 1/2 cup of pine nuts
  • 2 teaspoons Turkish or Syrian chile flakes or red pepper flakes (adjust depending on how spicy they are)
  • 1 2/3 cups of fresh basil leaves coarsely torn
  • 8 ounces of feta cheese broken into chunks (see notes)
  • Kosher salt and white pepper to taste

Instructions

  • Put the yogurt, 6 tablespoons of the olive oil (a little over 1/3 cup), the garlic, and about half of the peas in a food processor. Blitz to a uniform pale green sauce and transfer to a large mixing bowl.  Add some salt and a bit of white pepper and taste.  Don't oversalt for now, but some seasoning is important.
  • Bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt heavily, and add the pasta.  Cook until al dente (usually 6-7 minutes).
  • As the pasta cooks, heat the remaining olive oil in a small frying pan over medium-low heat. Add the chile flakes and fry for a couple minutes to turn the oil a deep red, then add the pine nuts and cook for maybe a minute, stirring frequently (they'll burn in a second so watch carefully).
  • In the last 2 minutes of the pasta cooking, add the remaining peas to heat them up.
  • Drain the cooked pasta and peas into a colander, shake well to get rid of the water, and add it GRADUALLY to the yogurt sauce, stirring to toss.  Adding it all at once may cause the yogurt to split.
  • Add the basil, feta, and more salt and pepper.  Toss gently and taste, adjusting the seasoning as needed. 
    Transfer to individual bowls, spoon the pine nuts and their oil over the bowls and serve.

Notes

  1. The recipe calls for conchighlie, which I didn't realize were just regular pasta shells (kind of medium size) you could find at any grocery store.  So I used oricchette (ears), and either works but I think the shells would be even better. 
  2. I do recommend finding a block of feta if possible and breaking it up yourself, vs. pre-crumbled.  The texture is much better.  But either works.
  3. This makes amazing leftovers, great straight out of the fridge or warmed just slightly to take the chill off.