My wife and I have been isolating now for almost two weeks and it is making me more creative in the kitchen. For all of March we ate an almost entirely vegan diet and we’ve stayed vegetarian since then.
It can get a bit tricky to keep producing something tasty and healthy when you can’t shop as easily as I once did. I used to shop almost every day, but we are now living on what we have in the cupboards and a small selection veg that has lasted nearly a fortnight.
So this evening I ‘invented’ a new pasta dish, and I think you might like it.
To make this for 2 people you will need:
About 150g of pasta – spaghetti or linguine is best, but tagliatelle would work just as well.
Two handfuls of frozen peas.
One or two cloves of garlic (depending on how much you like garlic or how big your cloves are, I used small ones).
A small bunch of flat leaf parsley (you could use mint, or even rocket).
A handful of pine nuts (if you don’t have pine nuts you might try walnuts).
salt and pepper and olive oil.
You’ll also need a large saucepan, a small frying pan and either a blender or a pestle and mortar.
First wash you hands
- Place the peas in a bowl of boiled water (from the kettle) and leave them to defrost.
2. Now put a pan of water on the hob and bring it to the boil. add some salt (pasta always needs salt) and chuck in the pasta. Depending on your pasta it will take about 10-12 minutes to cook, so set a timer and leave it alone.
3. Now heat the frying pan and throw in the nuts. Don’t take your eyes off them! gently cook (without any oil) for a few minutes. You are looking for them to turn slightly golden brown. When they are, take them off and set aside.
4. Meanwhile put the herbs, the garlic (chopped roughly), and the drained peas into the blender and blitz them with the nuts. Add salt and pepper and some olive oil. You are making a pesto, so it doesn’t want to be runny, just a loose paste.
Taste it and add more oil or seasoning it you want.
5. By now the pasta will probably be early ready so when it is, take it off the heat and drain it.
6. Now add the bright green pea pesto ‘sauce’ to the cooked pasta, mix it up, check the seasoning and serve in bowls. I added a green salad on the side. If you have some parmesan cheese this would be nice sprinkled on top.
I reckon that you can make this in about 20 minutes, half an hour tops. Its very quick, very cheap, and very nutrious. Easy peezy!
bon appetito!
Drew
sorry, no photos, we ate it too fast!
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