Name: Italian Masala
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 90 min
Total time: 100 min
Ingredients: 3 tablespoons Avocado oil (divided); 4 shallots; 3 heads of garlic; 1 tablespoon olive oil; 1/4 cup fresh parsley; 2 tablespoons fresh basil; 2 teaspoons fresh rosemary; 2 tablespoons tomato paste; 1 tablespoon dried Italian seasoning; 1 tablespoon dried basil; 1 tablespoon dried oregano; 2 teaspoons red pepper flakes; 1 small yellow onion (diced); 15 ounces garlic and basil diced tomatoes; 4 ounces coconut milk; Salt & pepper to taste.; 1 pound fresh fettuccini noodles

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I am really struggling with what to name this pasta dish. Besides it being delicious, it is not a recipe that I have seen executed by other chefs. Said differently, it is not a cooking method I have seen used for making a marinara sauce. What does this mean? As I have done in the past with my Mexican Masala Lentils, I took the Indian method of preparing a paste and made it Italian style. I really like the flexibility of working with these pastes. In this case, the transformation was quite simple. I still roasted shallots and garlic. This time, however, the base ingredients included fresh herbs of basil, parsley and rosemary. The spices included Italian seasonings included oregano, red pepper flakes and basil. And my Italian Masala was created.

Italian Masala

When I original had the idea to try Italian Masala, my plan was to use it as a sauce in poaching some chicken breasts. I still want to do this and think that this preparation might be the best utilization for this paste. For my pasta, I followed the same procedure that I have done with my Masala Lentils and my Yellow Curry Chicken.

The paste is developed by putting all the ingredients including tomato paste in a Cuisinart. After the paste is formed, some avocado oil is heated in a skillet and the paste (half of the paste) is added to further release its flavors. Then, a can of Italian spiced diced tomatoes and eventually a little bit of coconut milk is added to make this more of a cream sauce. The result is an incredibly flavorful sauce with a thicker texture than a marinara. It is really quite easy to make and the thick sauce/gravy is perfect for a bigger noodle like a fetticcini.

Italian Masala

Adapting an Indian paste cooking method to its Italian cousin.

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour 30 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 40 minutes

Servings 8

Ingredients

3 tablespoons Avocado oil divided
4 shallots
3 heads of garlic
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup fresh parsley
2 tablespoons fresh basil
2 teaspoons fresh rosemary
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon dried Italian seasoning
1 tablespoon dried basil
1 tablespoon dried oregano
2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
1 small yellow onion diced
15 ounces garlic and basil diced tomatoes
4 ounces coconut milk
Salt & pepper to taste.
1 pound fresh fettuccini noodles

Instructions

Begin by cutting the very top of the heads of garlic off.
Drizzle the garlic and the shallots with the olive oil.
Enclose the garlic and the shallots in separate tin foil containers and place in a 350 and cook for 1 hour.
In a food processor, add the garlic shallots, parsley, basil, rosemary and the dried ingredients and pulse.
Give a couple pulse to incorporate. Next, add 2 tablespoons of the avocado oil and tomato paste.
Pulse until paste forms and everything is well incorporated. Set aside.
Heat the remaining avocado oil in a skillet on medium heat.
Add in about 1 cup of the Italian masala paste with the diced onion.
Simmer for 4 - 5 minutes so the onions soften and the pastes releases its herbs.
Next, add in the tomatoes and cook for 1 minute.
Season with salt & pepper.
Add the coconut milk, mix well and simmer for 5 - 10 minutes.
The sauce will thicken up.
Cook the noodles in boiling water for approximately 2 minutes.
Top the cooked noodles with a lot of the sauce.
Serve and enjoy!