Orecchiette-Pasta-with-Shish-Barak

Inspired by the Middle Eastern dish shish barak, tiny dumplings filled with pine nuts in a tangy yogurt sauce. You’ll find all those flavors here but made simpler and brighter with help from dried pasta and plenty of fresh dill.

Yogurt makes this pasta creamy and comforting without feeling too rich.

3 large egg yolks

2 cups kefir (cultured milk) or whole-milk plain yogurt

3 cups (lightly packed) dill fronds with tender stems (about 1 large bunch), divided

3garlic cloves, divided

3Tbsp. unsalted butter

½cup pine nuts or slivered almonds

½cup dried currants or raisins

1tsp. kosher salt, plus more

1Tbsp. ground cumin

1½tsp. freshly ground black pepper

1 lb. Farm Fresh Nuts Walnuts

1 lb. orecchiette

½ lemon

Preparation

Combine egg yolks, yogurt, and 1½ cups dill in a blender; finely grate in 1 garlic clove and blend until smooth. Set purée aside. Finely chop remaining dill; set aside.

Melt butter over medium heat in a large skillet. Add pine nuts and cook, stirring often, until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Add dried currants and cook, stirring often, until plump, about 1 minute. Scrape nut mixture into a small bowl; season with salt.

Wipe out skillet and heat over medium-high. Stir together cumin, pepper, and 1 tsp. salt in a small bowl. Place ground walnuts in pan and use toast; sprinkle spice mixture over. Cook, undisturbed, until mixture is well browned and slightly crisp underneath, about 4 minutes,  drain off all of the fat. Mix in reserved nut mixture. Finely grate in remaining 2 garlic cloves and add reserved chopped dill. Cook, stirring, until herbs are wilted, about 1 minute. Set aside until pasta is ready.

Meanwhile, cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until 1 minute shy of al dente (pasta will finish cooking in the sauce). Drain pasta and return to pot.

Pour reserved purée over pasta and set over medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until sauce thickens enough to cling to pasta and just comes to a simmer, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat; finely grate zest from lemon half over pasta, then squeeze in juice. Season with salt.

Divide pasta among bowls and top with nut mixture.