Spain is known for many things, not least of which is its culinary prowess. One of its most famous dishes is paella–a cooked rice dish, accompanied by seafood or sausage–but we’re here to talk about a paella-adjacent dish that doesn’t get nearly as much attention as it should: fideuà.
fideuà is essentially a noodle paella, where the noodles are toasted and then cooked in a broth of sorts. If you can’t find fideuà noodles, you can use vermicelli, angel hair or spaghettini that have been broken into pieces, and go from there. The different method of preparing the noodles gives the dish a delicious smoky flavor that you don’t usually find in pasta recipes and makes this one very special. Combined with the spicy chorizo and the toasted almonds, you’ve got a full and flavorful meal that will knock your socks off!
Chorizo & Toasted Almond fideuà
Serves 4-6
Ingredients
- 1 pound dry fideuà pasta OR spaghettini (broken into 2-inch pieces)
- 8 oz. Spanish chorizo or andouille sausage
- 1 white onion, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 cups water, divided
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 1/4 cup slivered almonds
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 pinch saffron
- 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
- paella pan, optional
Directions
- In a small glass, crumble your pinch of saffron into 1/4 cup water and set aside.
- Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a heavy soup pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat and toast pasta until golden. 2-3 minutes. Remove and set aside.
- Add another 1 tablespoon olive oil and sauté onions until softened and translucent. 8-10 minutes.
- Add garlic and almonds and cook for 2 minutes, or until toasted and fragrant. Season with salt and pepper.
- Add chorizo to the pot and brown for 3 minutes, then pour in water, wine and saffron mixture, and stir in tomato paste.
- Return pasta to pot and bring mixture up to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, stirring frequently to make sure pasta doesn’t stick, until pasta is tender and most of liquid is absorbed. 8-10 minutes.
- Garnish with more almonds and chopped parsley and serve immediately.
Recipe adapted from the New York Times