Pasta 6 - Basil, Tomato and Feta (Auckland) Traditional Cache
Pastamaker: Went back to replace the cache and found that the area has changed again with a new fence in place. Given that two caches have gone awol from here I think it's time to archive this one.
Will find another location and rehide as Pasta 6 v2
Pasta 6 - Basil, Tomato and Feta (Auckland)
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Sixth in the Pasta series - and very sorry but it's a nano. We've been to Kev's shop so have to make use of all the sneaky little containers we've bought!
This cache is hidden down a little walkway that we've used in the past when walking our dogs. Probably best not done at night due to the proximity to homes but you shouldn't be in direct view at GZ. The cache is in view and there is no need to move anything to retrieve it. A decent clue is given to help with a quick find for the observant.
Pasta with Basil, Feta and Cherry Tomatoes
Ingrediants
Fresh Pasta cut as spaghetti or tagliatelle - see Pasta 2 for the recipe
Cherry tomatoes - the more you use the tastier it will be
Feta cheese - 150g will serve 4
Fresh basil
2 garlic cloves
A good big splash of olive oil - enough to coat all the pasta you are using
A pinch of ground nutmeg
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
Make the pasta, cut and hang.
Cut the cherry tomatoes in half, chop the basil, combine and leave aside for a moment in a bowl with just a little olive oil. You can add a sprinkle of salt too but the feta is a salty cheese so don't do this first time you make the dish. If you find you want to add salt to the finished dish then next time add it to the tomatoes.
Put a large pot with plenty of salted water on to boil.
Slice the garlic cloves in two and add to a small saucepan with a good big slosh of olive oil. You want to have enough to coat all of your pasta so maybe start with around 4 tablespoons and see how that goes. Heat the garlic very gently as you want it to infuse into the oil but not burn.
After a couple of minutes, add the tomatoes and basil and turn up the heat a little so that the tomatoes will cook but once again, don't burn the garlic. The pasta water should be boiling now so add the pasta to the pot. keep an eye on it and test it regularly, draining when al dente.
Now your tomatoes should be cooked, still formed but softened and the oil should now be a nice pink colour. Remove from the heat.
Serve the pasta into bowls and sprinkle each with groung nutmeg. Just a little as it can be overpowering. Remove the garlic cloves from the oil and discard then spoon the oil and tomatoes over the pasta. Slice the feta and then break the slices into small pieces and sprinlke over the pasta and tomatoes.
You'll want to wash your hands at this point!
Now serve, piping hot to your hungry guests and the first thing you do when you eat is to mix everything together and the feta will begin to soften and melt.
As always, freshly ground black pepper should be on hand but don't add salt until you've tasted it as feta is often a very salty cheese.
The cache is a nano with a log only, bring your own pen and try to write as small as possible. Tweezers might be handy to extract the log.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
TY, nzbat gur ivarf. Anab jvgu pnzzb.
Treasures
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