For Mother’s Day I asked for a vegetable spiralier and a lemon tree. I got both plus a really cute planter (see photo – you’ll love it!)
The lemon tree isn’t doing anything exciting, but boy is that spiralier fun. We’ve made noodles out of lots of veggies but zucchini is definitely the number one choice so far. A spiralier is a fairly inexpensive device that, with the twist of a wrist, turns any vegetable (or fruit) into long spirals – like noodles. As my husband pointed out, this could also be done with a cheese grater or food processor, but where’s the fun in that? A cooking gadget is a Mother’s Day tradition for us, so I’m enjoying my new kitchen toy. (In case you are having gadget envy – just Google spiraliers – I got the $15 version and it works perfectly.)
So far the favorite recipe has been zucchini noodles ( zoodles) with pesto. We like to serve this as a side dish with grilled fish or chicken and a few sautéed cherry tomatoes, but it would be perfect as a light entrée for a family who eats more sensibly than mine. Ok, time for full disclosure – my son and I LOVE or zucchini noodles, but for no reason, even the threat of starvation, would my husband ever eat zucchini. If you are faced with a similar situation, your favorite pasta is marvelous with this pesto.
There are three tricks to the pesto we like. The first is to use a combination of basil and spinach leaves. This was born of necessity because when we crave pesto as an early summer dish the garden basil is still too small to make a huge harvest. We like the combo of flavors and so now that’s a part of the recipe. The second trick is to use toasted walnuts instead of pine nuts, which are priced like a good steak. The flavor of toasted walnuts is divine. The last trick is to add a small pat of butter to the mix. It adds a hint of flavor and I think it keeps the pesto green longer (or so I tell myself) plus the texture is silkier. The recipe is so easy; you throw the spinach, basil, walnuts, Parmesan, garlic, butter and olive oil in the processor and push the button. Stop – taste for salt – then blend to a coarse paste. There – done. Now you either boil some pasta or make your zoodles. I put my zucchini noodles in a colander and lightly salt them. They sit a few minutes and then get a brief sauté in a few drops of olive oil just to warm them up. Stir in pesto and enjoy – almost guilt free – it’s only vegetables after all! You’ll love this recipe.
Ingredients
1 large handful of basil (2 cups loosely packed)
1 large handful of spinach
2 cloves peeled garlic
½ cup Parmesan cheese, about 2 oz (I let the processor do my grating)
1/3 cup olive oil
1 tsp butter
¼ cup toasted walnuts
Salt to taste
Directions:
Put all ingredients in a food processor and blend to a coarse paste scraping down sides of processor as needed.
Serve over pasta, zoodles, roasted potatoes, on pizza – let your imagination run wild.
· Save in a container in the fridge for several days. A small coating of olive oil over the top of the pesto helps preserve the color.
Grate zucchini or vegetable of choice either with a spiralier or with a grater.
Put noodles in a colander and salt lightly. Let sit for 10 minutes.
Add olive oil or butter to a skillet and briefly (about a minute) sauté noodles to warm them.
Serve with topped with pesto.
