Fettuccine in yogurt garlic sauce

As the weather's been getting better, I have been getting back into bicycling. Obsessed, actually. That means carbo-loading the night before a ride and re-loading when I get home. Since it's hot, and I'm tired, I want things that are low-cook or no-cook.

This quickie that I invented last year is one of my favorites for that. It's served cold, so it's particularly refreshing. A word of warning: raw, fully crushed garlic will cause people to avoid talking to you. (Chewing on a cardamom pod helps, if you can stand it.)

INGREDIENTS:

• 8 oz. (1/2 package) dry whole-wheat fettuccine
  
• 1 cup fat-free yogurt
• 4 medium cloves of garlic, crushed (see previous post)
  
• 3 tbsp. ground parmesan cheese
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 tbsp. fresh dill, minced (optional)
• 1 tbsp. freshly ground black pepper
  
• 1 1/2 tsp salt, or to taste

DIRECTIONS:

1. Cook the fettuccine to taste. Allow to dry thoroughly in a colander or the sauce will not stick.
   
2. Combine all other ingredients in medium mixing bowl. Let rest for five minutes to allow flavors to develop.
3. Toss pasta with sauce; serve chilled.

Tuna Puttanesca

Easy, fast, cheap. Vaguely charming. Far be it from me, of course, to make a joke about puttanesca sauce being aptly named. (I'm too classy for that.) But once you realize how easy this is, you'll feel bad about having paid $18 for it at some fancy place in the North End.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 can (3 oz.) tomato paste
• 2 oz. anchovy paste (or 1 tin flat anchovy fillets)
• 2 oz. capers
• 6 oz. kalamata olives (without pits if possible)
  
• 3 cans chunk white tuna
• 1 large can crushed tomatoes
• 2 tbsp. crushed garlic
• Red pepper flakes
• 3 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 lb. linguini, cooked al dente
  

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat the olive oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat.
2. Add the anchovy paste or anchovy fillets. If fillets are used, crush them with the back of a wooden spoon as they sauté.
3. Add in the garlic. Let the garlic and anchovies sauté for just a minute (they cook fast).
4. Add in the tomato paste, blending with a spatula. Allow to cook for a minute.
5. Mix in tunafish and red pepper; let cook another minute or two.
6. Add everything else; reduce heat to medium-low and let simmer for about 10 minutes.

Serve over pasta with grated parmesan.

PAIRINGS: Use a spicy wine with high tannins. A sufficiently ripe Cabernet Sauvignon is ideal. (Caution: unripe Cabernet Sauvignon tastes like the runoff from a Tabasco Sauce factory.)

Pasta with sweet beef sauce and yogurt sauce

The inspiration for using a cumin-based sweet beef sauce with a yogurt sauce came from the Afghani pumpkin dish, 'kaddo.' (Eventually, I'm going to get around to making that.) The beef sauce is sweet and spicy, while the yogurt sauce is sour and rich, and the interplay is unique and enjoyable. I'm not sure if this dish is for everyone; I'd be interested to get feedback on it before I serve it to a group.

The yogurt sauce is also great on its own with macaroni or tortellini.

INGREDIENTS:

Pasta and beef sauce:

• 1 lb. ground beef or lamb
  
• 1 lb. frozen or fresh okra, cut or whole
• 1 large can (about 1.5 lbs) chick peas, drained and washed
• 1 large onion, chopped
  
• 1 lb. penne pasta
  
• 1 tbsp. cumin
• 1 tbsp. chopped garlic
  
• 1 tsp. ground mustard seed
• 2 tbsp. molasses
• 1 tbsp. cinnamon
• cayenne pepper
• 3 tbsp balsamic vinegar

Yogurt sauce:

• 1 lb (1/2 carton) non-fat yogurt
• 2 tbsp. chopped garlic
• 1/2 cup ground Parmesan
  
• 2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 head fresh dill, finely chopped
  
• Lots of fresh black pepper

RECIPE:

1. Cook the pasta and set aside.
2. While the pasta is cooking, combine all ingredients for yogurt sauce in a bowl and set aside.
   
3. Heat some olive oil in a saucepan. Add onions once very hot; sauté until golden.
4. Add the garlic, beef and spices; sauté the mixture over high heat until meat is browned.
5. Add the okra, garbanzos, vinegar and molasses; sauté another couple of minutes.
6. Reduce heat to low; simmer, covered, for another 5 minutes.
7. Stir in pasta.

Serve the pasta with the yogurt sauce. I usually serve the hot pasta with the cold yogurt sauce, but you may prefer to gently warm the yogurt sauce in a small saucepan. I wouldn't get it too hot, though.

PAIRINGS:

Use a full-bodied red, but make sure that it isn't too acidic. Acidity tends to play poorly off of cumin dishes, especially when they are spicy.