Fusilli with Sautéed Carrots and Bulgarian Cheese

👨‍🍳 Method

For the Cooked pasta

1. 1
   Cook the pasta in plenty of boiling salted water (4¼ cups of water and a heaping teaspoon of salt for every 4 oz of pasta), following the package directions (taste about 2 minutes early), until al dente.

   ⚙ Cooking in salted waterStovePot

   💡The water should taste like a seasoned soup, not like sea water: a heaping teaspoon of salt per liter. Add the salt once the water is boiling.
2. 2
   Reserve ½ cup of the cooking water before draining.

   ⚙ Saving the cooking waterLadleorMeasuring cup

   💡The cooking water is starchy: a spoonful or two binds the sauce to the pasta or the gnocchi and makes it glossy.
3. 3
   Drain.

   Colander

To assemble

1. 4
   Heat the olive oil in a wide pan and fry the onion 5 minutes, until it is translucent.

   ⚙ Pan-fryingStoveFrying pan
2. 5
   Add the carrot and garlic and fry 6–8 minutes, until the carrot softens and caramelizes at the edges.

   ⚙ Adding to the hot fat and fryingStove

   💡Add by cooking time: what needs long (onion, carrot, meat) goes in first, and what burns fast (garlic, dry spices) goes in last, only until fragrant.
3. 6
   Add the drained pasta and a little pasta water as needed, season with black pepper and toss well.
4. 7
   Divide among plates and crumble the Bulgarian cheese on top.
5. 8
   Serve immediately.