Not so long ago, I discovered a new and incredibly useful ingredient, Quark. Mum had spotted it in the supermarket and thought it looked like something I would enjoy. I'm not a huge dairy (never cheesy/creamy things) eater so I was more than a little skeptical about trying it out. Quark is a fat free soft cheese (really it's more like a very thick yogurt than cheese) that works as well in savoury dishes as it does in sweet - although a German friend of mine was almost horrified at the thought of using Quark in another other than desserts.
Anyway..I was making pasta arrabbiata one evening for myself and accidentally let a huge amount of chilli fall into the pot. DISASTER! Now, I love chilli and think I can withstand a relatively high level of heat, but I was coughing and spluttering quite a lot with the monster of a dish I'd just created. Then I remembered that sitting in the fridge was the Quark which with it's 'creaminess' may calm the beast of a sauce down.
To my delight, not only did it relieve my scalded taste buds it also tasted delicious! From then on I called the dish "Silky, Sexy Pasta" and is a firm dinner favourite for Isaac and myself. I know that it is totally un-Italian in origin however it is totally delicious and well worth a try if you spot it in your local supermarket!
Anyway..I was making pasta arrabbiata one evening for myself and accidentally let a huge amount of chilli fall into the pot. DISASTER! Now, I love chilli and think I can withstand a relatively high level of heat, but I was coughing and spluttering quite a lot with the monster of a dish I'd just created. Then I remembered that sitting in the fridge was the Quark which with it's 'creaminess' may calm the beast of a sauce down.
Oh my goodness, where did your mum find Quark? My mum had to wait 25 years until she found her first one in Morton's, but they only stock it occasionally! Did you have any "Quark balls" at the Christmas markets? They're like donuts but much lighter.. delicious! :)
ReplyDeleteI've seen it in loads of places recently, mum originally found it in Superquinn but I've also got it in Tesco and in Supervalu. I hope your mum spots it in a shop near her soon, if she doesn't Tesco Dun Laoghaire definitely stock it. No, I never tried Quark balls, but they sound yummy! I really like Quark, a friend of mine from Münster gave me her Oma's Quark recipe, was delish!
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