A chef’s Guide to Pairing and Chilli Pasta Recipe
I am often asked… ‘How do I become a better cook?’
I see people following recipes instead of truly understanding how ingredients and methods work. So once a month, I'm going to share with you the alchemy of cooking. That way you can start creating in the kitchen with confidence.
This month we are chatting about ingredient pairing
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The importance of pairing
Pairing is an interesting concept because whenever you are cooking you're putting ingredients together. It can be a challenging idea to comprehend because the 'rules' can change.
Firstly, we can identify the basics of paring - acid, fat, salt, sweet and heat (spicy heat). Fundamentally, when following these flavour profiles you will pair ingredients well, but there are always exceptions. But it's a great start!
In a well-rounded dish, you can often notice all these flavour profiles, some more obvious than others. You'll also be able to notice if a dish feels off or not quite right - usually, the balance of the pairing is off.
Here’s an example
Let's look at the recipe below- chill oil pasta with cherry tomatoes and capers.
It works because
sweet- tomatoes
fat- oil
salt- capers and salt
heat- chilli
acid- lemon
"The right pairing can elevate the components of the dish, creating a harmony on the palate that's greater than if the ingredients were eaten separately”
Chilli oil pasta with grilled cherry tomatoes & capers
This is a really easy recipe that shows off how when you pair ingredients well you don’t need much to create a delicious dish. You can find this recipe in our cookbook ‘Anything’s Possible’.
Ingredients
3 cups cherry tomatoes (450g)
1 tbsp ghee or olive oil
11⁄2 cups leek (150g), diced
1⁄2 cup parsley (30g), finely chopped
1 tbsp chilli oil, plus extra to serve (you can find our home made chilli oil in our cookbook)
1 tbsp capers
400g pasta
1 lemon, to make 2 tbsp of juice and 1 tsp of zest
1⁄4 cup parmesan, grated salt and pepper
Method
Preheat oven to 180°C fan.
Put the whole cherry tomatoes on a baking tray and place in the oven for 15 minutes. Turn to the grill setting on the oven. Grill for 5-10 minutes or until the tomatoes go slightly black on the top.
Remove from oven and set aside. (If you don’t have a grill setting, place a fry pan on high heat with a dash of olive oil.
Once hot, add the tomatoes and be careful not to stir too much, flipping them once they are brown on one side.
Once lightly coloured on both sides, remove from heat and set aside.) Add ghee and leek to a medium fry pan and place on a medium heat and sauté until softened. Add parsley, chilli oil and capers, stir for a further 3-5 minutes. Set aside.
Cook pasta in boiling, lightly salted water according to the packet instructions. Drain well, add to the pan with the leek mixture. Add tomatoes, lemon juice and zest, salt and pepper. Combine well.
Drizzle with more chilli oil, top with parmesan and serve.