Today we look at a spectacular recipe from Dolce Vitality at Le Sireneuse Journal, that looks like spaghetti, but without the dreaded ‘carbocide’ effects. This is in fact a spaghetti made from courgettes, and is a just as much a feast for the eyes as it is for the palate with its bright green pesto-coated courgette threads which are served twirled into a conical heap on the plate.
This dish is gloriously low in calories and has a delightfully creamy texture die to its exquisite pesto sauce. This recipe should serve two.
Ingredients
700g (1 lb 9 oz) zucchini
30g (1 oz) almonds
100g (3.5 oz) basil ??? 4 or 5 big bunches
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Method
Wash the zucchini well, dry them and keep them aside. Toast the almonds for 5 minutes in an oven at 180??C (350??F), then set aside to cool. Strip the basil leaves from their stalks and toss them in boiling water for two minutes, then drain them and throw them immediately into ice-cold water. Put the basil leaves and three-quarters of the almonds into a blender with a thin slice of garlic, adding the olive oil slowly until you achieve the consistency of a thick paste. Cut the other almonds into slivers to use as a garnish.
Now turn your attention to the zucchini. If you have a mandolin, insert the corrugated blade and use it to cut the vegetables length ways into long threads the diameter of thick spaghetti (otherwise you will need a sharp knife and a lot of patience ??? and will end up with ???spaghetti??? that are square rather than round in cross-section). Heat a little olive oil in a pan and toss the zucchini strips in it for a minute or so. Then add the pesto, toss once more to coat and amalgamate, and serve on a plate twirled with a fork in the shape of a cylinder or upturned cone, topped with the toasted almond slivers. If you enjoy the fresh, light flavors of this recipe, you can also try making a??creamy lemon spinach pasta??for another delicious option.
