What's better than a plate of carbs?

More carbs, naturally! There's something deeply satifying about a piece of bread, or a bowl of rice. Tuscan peasants knew what they were doing when they invented this rustic pasta dish. Traditionally made with pappardelle or tagliatelle alongwith breadcrumbs and walnuts, it's a dish for days when your fridge is empty.

I, of course, substituted macaroni for fresh pasta. And brazil nuts for walnuts. So here comes Macaroni with Crumbs and Brazil Nuts, the best new pasta dish I've tried in a while.



Boil a cup of macaroni (or spaghetti if you want to be more sensible) in plenty of salted water. Tear 2 slices of white sandwich bread in small pieces, place on a tissue paper and microwave for 30 seconds. The pieces will get soft, but will harden as they cool. Grind to crumbs in a food processor.

Heat a tbsp of olive oil in a pan. Add breadcrumbs and stir till the crumbs are crisp and golden in color. Remove from pan. Add another tbsp of olive oil to the same pan, add 2 garlic cloves (chopped) and 8-10 chopped brazil nuts. Cook until garlic is lightly browned, then add back the crumbs and turn off the heat.

Add the pasta to the crumbs alongwith a generous pinch of sea salt and a tbsp of chopped parsley. Make sure you drain the pasta thoroughly. If you have any water left, your crumb mixture will not stay crisp when the pasta goes in. Finally, sprinkle some crushed pepper and you are ready to go to Tuscan heaven.