1.206
30 (Fri) July 2010
Capellini in Saffron-Tomato Broth
2.5
by me
at home
-Oksu, Seongdong, Seoul, Korea-
with the Family
I’m calling it a “broth” because that’s what the recipe calls it. Started off as a typical tomato sauce, though with the addition of saffron and a higher proportion of vegetable stock, but then the whole thing was pureed at the end to produce a smooth, soupy, broth-like texture, a technique that I’d never tried before but one that I’ll certainly revisit soon enough.
Unfortunately, the flavor wasn’t quite there. Frugality is partly to blame, as I was stingy with the saffron, loudly touted as the world’s most expensive herb (thanks, Lisa!!), not willing to risk more than half a pinch of my new stash on an experimental dish. But the bigger bad lies in the inherent qualities of the local tomatoes, which tend to be more watery and acidic and less sweet than, say, proper roma tomatoes, imparting a slightly and not-entirely pleasant herbaceous note when cooked into a dish. Plum tomatoes, as well as heirlooms and other fancy varieties, are sometimes available here but expensive and not readily if ever available in the stores where I usually shop.
More important, I’m so in love with myself that I finally managed to get that coiled, whatever-it’s-called look to the pasta. I didn’t do anything different than before, just took a fork and spooled the noodles, which held together ever so obediently even after it was transferred onto the plate.
I love the photo.