One of my favorite entrées in an Italian-American restaurant is Fettucchini Alfredo and I always order it a la primavera-style, meaning I'm asking for vegetables to be tossed into it, hence the name of my own recipe, Fabulous Fettuccine Alfredo a la Primavera-Style. I could easily choose to order the Alfredo with the very popular chicken or shrimp options, but, neither appeals to me. The rich, creamy, parmesan-laced sauce that enrobes the tender strands of al dente egg-pasta and colorful crunch-tender blanched veggies needs no meat or seafood to entice me.
Jamaican cuisine fused w/Italian-American cuisine? Yea mon.
If you have a Caribbean-style restaurant in your proximity, a dish called Rasta Pasta is most likely on the menu -- a creamy, Jamaican-spiced penne pasta, studded with colorful vegetables and often served with or to the side of Jamaican-jerk chicken or shrimp. It is the Jamaican take on the Italian-American Alfredo primavera. It's easy to assume the title "Rasta" is associated with Rastafarianism, which would require the fare to be vegetarian -- no meat or shellfish. No Mon. It implies the colors of the veggies used, which are bell peppers: red, orange or yellow and green.
Like Fettuccini Alfredo, Rasta Pasta is not hard to make, and, also like Fettuccini Alfredo, there are time-saving store-bought options available. For Rasta Pasta, the most popular is Knorr's Parma Rosa dry sauce mix. Simply combine the contents with 1 1/4 cups milk, a bit of butter, plus a tablespoon of Jamaican jerk seasoning blend, simmer it on the stovetop until it thickens, and, voila -- quickie Rasta Pasta sauce. It is tasty, but, c'mon mon, I can do better than that.
My Coconut-Creamy Island-Style Rasta Pasta sauce:
4 tablespoons salted butter
4 tablespoons, unbleached all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons jerk seasoning
1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon Scotch bonnet pepper powder
2 13 1/2-ounce cans coconut milk
1 14 1/2-ounce can fire-roasted diced tomatoes, undrained
1 cup finely-grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
~Step 1. In a small ramekin, stir together the flour and dry spices: the jerk seasoning, thyme leaves, garlic powder and Scotch bonnet pepper powder. In a 3 1/2-quart chef's pan, melt butter over low heat. Increase heat to medium and stir in the flour, jerk seasoning, thyme leaves, Scotch bonnet pepper powder and garlic powder. Using a large spoon, stirring constantly, cook until mixture (roux) is thick and bubbly, 30-45 seconds.
~Step 2. Add the coconut milk, in a slow steady stream, stirring constantly and vigorously. Stir in the diced tomatoes. Carefully adjust heat to a gentle simmer (not too high or it will scorch) and continue to cook until smooth, thickened and drizzly, about 2 1/2-3 minutes. Turn the heat to low.
~ Step 3. Sprinkle in the Parm-Regg. The finely-grated cheese will melt evenly, quickly and almost instantly. Stir until the mixture is smooth and ribbon like. You will have 6 cups of coconut-creamy, Rasta Pasta Sauce, better than any store-bought sauce packet can deliver. Cover and remove from heat.
Note: This sauce can be made 1-3 days in advance, stored in the refrigerator and gently reheated on the stovetop or in the microwave when ready to proceed with recipe.
Coconut-creamy bold-flavored Island-style pasta sauce:
Creamy, pink, pretty & ready to sauce my Rasta Pasta:
Coconut-Creamy, Island-Style, Rasta-Pasta Sauce: Recipe yields 6 cups sauce, enough to sauce 2 pounds pasta.
Special Equipment List: 3 1/2-quart chef's pan w/straight, deep sides & lid; large spoon
Cook's Note: Throughout the Caribbean, "patties" are a staple, and depending on which country or island they are from or made on, the pastry crusts and the meat fillings (beef, goat, lamb, pork, chicken, fish or seafood) differ quite a bit. Some crusts are baked, others are fried, and still others are more puff-pastry like than pie-dough like. ~ Don't Worry, Be Happy: Jamaican-Style Beef Patties ~ is my take on this Caribbean-Island classic.
"We are all in this food world together." ~ Melanie Preschutti
(Recipe, Commentary and Photos courtesy of Melanie's Kitchen/Copyright 2018)
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