Authorpriya's mashupsCategoryNew York Specials, RecipesDifficultyBeginnerIt was my first job offer. It was a glossy new city. It was all a bit of a muddle--pride vying with humility, happiness mitigated by nervousness, the sense of adventure deflated a bit by the inability to share the enormity of it all with one's near and dear. The unfamiliarity of it all was a bit unsettling.
So I walked, then hopped onto the subway, then pondered some more. Now introspection can be a healthy, well meaning exercise that tingles your spine and lights up your brain cells or it could get you a bit lost. You might have intended to go home to the East Village and instead, end up on a bummel in Brooklyn.
That afternoon, in an unfamiliar part of Brooklyn, in a cozy Jamaican restaurant, I had my first Rasta Pasta--a dish where the hearty tomato stew stole the show. Full of okra and beans and carrots, the broth was light yet filling, spicy yet mellow.
The restaurant and its people were likewise, different yet somehow familiar. It felt like I had stumbled into someone's warm kitchen. Well worn copper pots and pans adorned the walls, rustic wooden furniture gleamed, tall tropical looking plants invited me in.
That afternoon, in that warm oasis, I put down my jagged thoughts for a moment. Instead, I scarfed down my Rasta Pasta and learnt about Jamaican All Spice, Callaloo greens, and the Ackee fruit. I laughed and shared a beer with the restaurant's staff, I swapped "away from my homeland" stories. That afternoon, I learnt to find familiarity and comfort in the unfamiliar.
1. Heat 1/8 cup olive oil on med. heat for 2 mins. Add the chopped garlic and saute for 30 secs. to 1 min.
2. Slide in the diced tomatoes, 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/2 tsp. Jamaican all spice. Cook on med. or med.-low. The tomatoes should soften and start giving out water. DO NOT mash. We want the texture of the diced tomatoes in the sauce.
3. Cook/Simmer the tomatoes for 10-15 mins. If the sauce starts drying up, add 1 to 2 tbsp. of water and turn the heat down a bit.
3. While the tomatoes are cooking, steam the carrots and beans in a separate pot for 15 mins.
4. Blend the steamed carrots with 1 1/2 cups veggie stock and 1/2 cup grated fennel shavings. Set the steamed beans aside.
5. Strain the carrot-fennel mixture with a fine mesh strainer to get a clear carrot-fennel brodo.
6. Add the carrot-fennel brodo to the tomoto sauce. Stir to mix well.
7. Add the beans, the okra, and the 1/2 tsp. dried parsley to the tomato sauce. Cook for 10-15 mins. till: i) the okra is cooked; and ii) the liquid is neither a sauce nor a clear brodo.
1. While the tomato-carrot-fennel sauce is cooking, bring water to a rolling boil and season with 1 tbsp. salt.
2. Add mixed veggie rotini and cook as per package instructions, except stop cooking it 2 mins. before finishing time. For me, pasta cooking time was 12 mins.
1. Its important to time the cooking of the pasta and the sauce, so that they get done at the same time.
2. This way, you can scoop the cooked pasta out of the pot and toss straight into the sauce. This will ensure the sauce coats and holds onto the surface of the hot pasta.
3. Once you toss in the pasta, cover and cook on high for 1 min.
4. Open the cover, stir the pasta around. Cover and cook on high for another 1 min.
5. Turn off the stove and drizzle the remaining 1/8th cup olive oil and the red pepper flakes over the sauce. For kids, omit the red pepper flakes.
5. Dreamy Rasta Pasta in Brooklyn is served!
1. I really prefer rigatoni for this sauce because the ridges in the pasta allow the light, brothy sauce to adhere to it. If you are substituting other pasta, just make sure it has ridges, otherwise the sauce will just run off it.
2. If you don't have Jamaican all spice, just create your own version. A combination of cloves, cinnamon and nutmeg can mimic the flavor--1:1:1/2 ratio respectively.
3. This stew also pairs really well with rice. Or simply make it into a soup by adding extra water.
Ingredients
Directions
1. Heat 1/8 cup olive oil on med. heat for 2 mins. Add the chopped garlic and saute for 30 secs. to 1 min.
2. Slide in the diced tomatoes, 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/2 tsp. Jamaican all spice. Cook on med. or med.-low. The tomatoes should soften and start giving out water. DO NOT mash. We want the texture of the diced tomatoes in the sauce.
3. Cook/Simmer the tomatoes for 10-15 mins. If the sauce starts drying up, add 1 to 2 tbsp. of water and turn the heat down a bit.
3. While the tomatoes are cooking, steam the carrots and beans in a separate pot for 15 mins.
4. Blend the steamed carrots with 1 1/2 cups veggie stock and 1/2 cup grated fennel shavings. Set the steamed beans aside.
5. Strain the carrot-fennel mixture with a fine mesh strainer to get a clear carrot-fennel brodo.
6. Add the carrot-fennel brodo to the tomoto sauce. Stir to mix well.
7. Add the beans, the okra, and the 1/2 tsp. dried parsley to the tomato sauce. Cook for 10-15 mins. till: i) the okra is cooked; and ii) the liquid is neither a sauce nor a clear brodo.
1. While the tomato-carrot-fennel sauce is cooking, bring water to a rolling boil and season with 1 tbsp. salt.
2. Add mixed veggie rotini and cook as per package instructions, except stop cooking it 2 mins. before finishing time. For me, pasta cooking time was 12 mins.
1. Its important to time the cooking of the pasta and the sauce, so that they get done at the same time.
2. This way, you can scoop the cooked pasta out of the pot and toss straight into the sauce. This will ensure the sauce coats and holds onto the surface of the hot pasta.
3. Once you toss in the pasta, cover and cook on high for 1 min.
4. Open the cover, stir the pasta around. Cover and cook on high for another 1 min.
5. Turn off the stove and drizzle the remaining 1/8th cup olive oil and the red pepper flakes over the sauce. For kids, omit the red pepper flakes.
5. Dreamy Rasta Pasta in Brooklyn is served!
1. I really prefer rigatoni for this sauce because the ridges in the pasta allow the light, brothy sauce to adhere to it. If you are substituting other pasta, just make sure it has ridges, otherwise the sauce will just run off it.
2. If you don't have Jamaican all spice, just create your own version. A combination of cloves, cinnamon and nutmeg can mimic the flavor--1:1:1/2 ratio respectively.
3. This stew also pairs really well with rice. Or simply make it into a soup by adding extra water.
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