Turkish Caramelised Onion, Feta & Pine Nut Chifferini | Abel & Cole
Turkish Caramelised Onion, Feta & Pine Nut Chifferini
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Prep: 20 mins
Cook: 20 mins
A Turkish take on a Greek dish via Italy. Creamy spiced onions and shards of tangy feta tossed through chifferini pasta and peppery rocket shake up your usual pasta supper.
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794 kcal
(per portion)
Ingredients you'll need
  • 4 onions
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 150g Greek style yogurt
  • 25g pine nuts
  • ½ x 200g feta
  • 50g rocket
  • A handful flat leaf parsley
  • 200g chifferini pasta
  • A pinch of cayenne pepper
From your kitchen
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • Sea salt
  • Freshly ground pepper
  • 2 tbsp cold water
Step by step this way
  • 1.

    Peel and finely slice the onions. Peel and thinly slice the garlic cloves. Heat a large frying pan. When warm, drizzle in 2 tbsp olive oil. Add the onions, the cinnamon stick and bay leaf. Add a good pinch of salt and pepper. Cook for 10 mins on a gentle heat stirring now and then. The onions should not catch any colour. If they do, turn the heat down more.

  • 2.

    After 10 mins, add the garlic cloves. Cook for a further 10 mins on the low heat, stirring now and then. The onions should be meltingly soft and translucent.

  • 3.

    Spoon half the tub of yogurt into a bowl. Add 2tbsp cold water and whisk together. Heat a small frying pan and toast the pine nuts for 2-3 mins till golden. Tip into a small bowl.

  • 4.

    Crumble half the pack of feta. Roughly chop the rocket. Finely chop the dill stalks, leaving the fronds whole.

  • 5.

    Bring a pan of water to a rolling boil. Drop in the pasta with a good pinch of salt. Simmer for 8 mins till the pasta is al dente (soft with a slight bite). Drain, reserving a cupful of the cooking water.

  • 6.

    When the pasta has 3 mins left to cook, pluck the bay leaf and cinnamon stick from the onions. Add the thinned yogurt to the pan with the onions, which should have cooked for a total of 20 mins. Stir together. Add the dill stalks, half of the crumbled feta and a good grinding of salt and pepper. Add a pinch of cayenne and stir.

  • 7.

    Arrange the rocket in two shallow bowls. Tip the cooked and drained pasta into the pan with the yogurty, onion sauce. Stir to coat, adding a little cooking water if necessary to loosen the sauce a little. Spoon on top of the rocket. Crumble over the remaining feta. Scatter over the pinenuts and dill fronds. Dust a little cayenne pepper to taste.

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