Cooking with Cardamom on a Cold Winter's Night

Chow on 01.20.12
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Photos by Adam and Joanne Gallagher, Inspired Taste

Start by cutting a few cloves of garlic lengthwise into 4 strips.

caradmom pasta

Next, using the flat of a knife, gently press the cardamom pods against a cutting board. This will open the pods and allow all their flavor to seep out into the sauce. If you don’t have cardamom pods on hand, just substitute with one teaspoon of ground cardamom.

caradmom pasta

Throw some tomatoes into an oven-safe pot (we used a dutch oven). Then, add the garlic and cardamom pods. You could use a baking sheet, but if you use the oven-safe dish, you can finish the sauce in the same pan, meaning less cleanup.

caradmom pasta

Drizzle in some olive oil.

caradmom pasta

Then, use a vegetable peeler to peel about half of the zest away from a lemon.

caradmom pasta

Generously grind pepper and season with salt. Then, bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes until the tomatoes begin to burst and release their juices.


caradmom pasta

Remove the cardamom pods and lemon, and discard.

caradmom pasta

Now, place the pan of roasted tomatoes over medium heat, then pour in about 1/4 cup of chicken stock.

caradmom pasta

Allow the stock to reduce by half, then add cooked pasta. Toss and cook 1 minute.

caradmom pasta

Serve as is, with fresh herbs or with a sprinkle of freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

Enjoy!
 
Cardamom Roasted Tomato Pasta Recipe
Pasta with a light tomato sauce infused with bright lemon and cardamom. The star of this sauce is cardamom pods; if you do not have pods on hand, you can substitute with 1 teaspoon of ground cardamom. Add the ground cardamom before roasting the tomatoes.

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Yield: serves 2

Ingredients
•    8 ounces dried pappardelle pasta
•    2 cups whole cherry tomatoes
•    3 cloves garlic, skin removed and cut lengthwise into 4 strips
•    4 strips lemon zest, each 1/4-inch wide and 2 inches long
•    6 cardamom pods, pressed with the flat of a knife to crack pod
•    1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
•    1/4 cup chicken stock
•    salt and freshly ground pepper
Method
1.    Preheat oven to 500 degrees Fahrenheit.
2.    Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add pasta, and cook according to package directions.
3.    Add cherry tomatoes, garlic, lemon zest, cardamom pods and olive oil to a large oven-safe pan. Season with 1/4 teaspoon salt and freshly ground pepper.
4.    Roast for 10 minutes, then stir to flip the tomatoes. Roast another 5-10 minutes until the tomatoes begin to split.
5.    Remove pan from oven, then remove and discard the cardamom pods and lemon zest. Next, place the pan over medium heat and add chicken stock, reduce by half, add cooked pasta, stir and cook one minute. Season to taste and serve.

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