Creamy Avocado Saffron Papardelle

pasta

Inspired by this recipe and an abundance of saffron courtesy of Costco, Jens came up with this recipe. It’s great because you get a creamy sauce without the heaviness of cream. There’s also something really decadent about having a saffron-flavored dish on a weeknight. Seriously, if you ever see saffron on sale at Costco, snap it up. It’s so much cheaper than buying almost anywhere else (6 strands at a time? No thanks.) I’m also amused by how very serious the “Kirkland signature” saffron is. From the package:
saffron

“The Consejo Regulador, recognized by the EU, guarantees the consumer that saffron with the DO La Mancha seal is authentic. The numbered label on the jar, supplied only by the COnsejo Regulador, guarantees that this saffron has been grown, harvested, and packed in La Mancha and that it is the highest quality available.”

/end Costco fangirl rant.

For the recipe,

3/4 carrot, very thinly sliced
6 cloves garlic, roughly diced
2 ripe avocados (we like creamy varieties like Haas for this recipe, not one of the non-creamy varieties like Zutanos)
egg papardelle
pinch of saffron
extra virgin olive oil
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1 medium heirloom tomato, chopped
red pepper flakes
salt (or Herbamare) and pepper
parmesan, shredded
small dash curry powder

Cut carrot as thinly as you can. Sautee for 10 minutes over medium heat in EVOO. The thin slices should start to shrivel up and get brown.

Turn heat down a bit and add 75% of the garlic. Sautee to golden brown (if you like the flavor of slightly toasted garlic). Add cherry tomatoes. Season with Herbamare and pepper. After 5 minutes add the other tomato and the rest of the garlic. Sautee for another 5 minutes.

Put in the saffron and stir it, turn off the heat, add some parmesan let it sit for a few minutes. While tomato mixture is sitting, take a fork and run it through the avocado halves to mash the flesh. Then take a spoon and scoop it into the pan. Add some red pepper flakes.

Mix the sauce, adjust the seasoning (add a dash of curry powder if you like the flavor.) Mix with the pasta. Add sprouts if you have them (i.e. mung bean, garbanzo). The acidity of the tomatoes makes lemon unnecessary. Enjoy!