Umami with a hint of sweetness
When dinnertime looms and inspiration is scarce, this pantry pasta will be there for you. Raisins make an unlikely starring appearance; they swell and plump in the pasta cooking liquid and balance the briny intensity of the feta and chili-oil-sizzled olives. (Feel free to skip the anchovies if you want to make it vegetarian.) A handful of parsley to finish and you’ll soon see that you really don’t need to be stocked to be well fed.
The recipe
Pasta with Feta, Olives, and Raisins
- Serves
- 4
- Prep Time
- 5 minutes
- Cooking Time
- 15 minutes
Ingredients
- 350 grams of rigatoni or other short pasta
- Kosher salt
- ¾ cup golden raisins
- ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 oil-packed anchovies (optional)
- 1 cup pitted green olives, coarsely chopped
- 2 tsp mild red pepper flakes, plus more for serving
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 3 garlic cloves, finely grated
- 100 grams feta, crumbled
- ½ cup coarsely chopped parsley, plus leaves for serving
- 1 Tbsp. (or more) fresh lemon juice
Method
- Cook rigatoni in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally and adding ¾ cup golden raisins after 5 minutes, until very al dente, about 3 minutes less than package directions. Drain, reserving 2 cups pasta cooking liquid; reserve pot.
- Heat ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil in a small saucepan over medium. Add 2 oil-packed anchovies (if using), 1 cup pitted olives, coarsely chopped, and 2 tsp red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring occasionally and breaking up anchovies, until mixture is fragrant and oil turns slightly orange in color, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in zest of 1 lemon and 3 garlic cloves, finely grated; season with salt.
- Return pasta and raisins to reserved pot; add feta, crumbled, and 1 cup pasta cooking liquid. Cook over medium heat, tossing vigorously, until feta is starting to melt and coat pasta and pasta is al dente, about 1 minute. Remove from heat and add anchovy mixture, ½ cup coarsely chopped parsley, and 1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice. Cook, tossing vigorously and adding more pasta cooking liquid if needed, until combined and pasta is coated, about 1 minute. Taste and add more lemon juice and/or season with more salt if needed.
- Divide pasta among shallow bowls; top with parsley leaves and more red pepper flakes.
RigatoniOil & GarlicVegetarianSpicy