The Amateur's Kitchen - Pasta Ilocano with Roasted Tomatoes

" There is a lovely warmness about feelings of nostalgia as though in one's head one is putting on a pair of comfy old slippers and curling up in front of a fire."

    ~ William E Geist

Project: Eat    

     The recent trip to Ilocos Norte made me nostalgic. It reminded me of things I loved about the independent Ilocano life and of moments I wished to revisit.

     The fragrant whiffs of Sampaguita blooms lining the pathways of Paoay church led me back to the perfumy scent of the Ylang-ylang tree's flowers beside my bedroom window in San Nicolas. They invigorated me every waking mornings, as if laying on a bed of Ylang-ylang petals...

     Empanadas too were a fave on my two-year stay there. On chances where I would time out from work at 5, I would buy an empanada or two on a little stall near the street I lived in. They served as a complete dinner for me - all with the shredded green papaya as veggies, toasted longganisa bits and an egg with its yolk still soft and golden as protein, and crisp, Annatto-colored crust made from rice flour as carbs.

     I would have loved to re-create this scrumptious Ilocano specialty, but with lack of ingredients for the crust, I tried on another pasta dish inspired by it instead.

Pasta Ilocano with Roasted Tomatoes

Linguine
2 pcs longganisa, cooked and skinned, reserve drippings
Olive Oil 
Chopped 4 cloves of Garlic
Chopped 1 small white onion
1/2 green papaya, shredded
Dried Basil
Garlic Powder
Salt and Pepper
a dash of lemon or calamansi juice
1 roasted tomato, wedged 



Cook pasta according to package directions. Reserve half a cup of cooking water.

Heat longganisa oil drippings and olive oil on saucepan. Cook garlic til browned. Add onions, longganisa, and shredded papaya til cooked. Season with dried basil, garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste. Gradually add cooking water and simmer til reduced. Toss in cooked pasta. Sprinkle with lemon or calamansi juice and garnish with roasted tomatoes.