A home cook adapts a traditional recipe by swapping orecchiette pasta for cavatappi after encountering difficulties with the original shape, finding the alternative easier to work with. The dish features a vibrant pea pesto base made from fresh basil, toasted almonds, lemon juice, and simmered peas, blended with garlic, shallots, and seasonings for a rich, herby flavor. The pasta is tossed in the bright green sauce, with optional grated Parmesan for added depth, offering a fresh twist on classic Italian flavors. The straightforward method combines simple pantry staples with a few key ingredients to create a quick yet flavorful meal.
Recipe originally calls for orecchiette, which I've had problems with in the past with shells sticking together, and also I could not find orecchiette at the store, so this is cavatappi. Pretty nice, a different kind of pasta, not too troublesome. Ingredients 8 ounces whole wheat cavatappi (or other pasta) 3 tablespoons olive oil 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 shallot, diced ½ teaspoon fine sea salt, divided 1½ cups frozen green peas ¼ cup vegetable broth ¼ cup unsalted slivered raw almonds ½ cup fresh basil Juice of 1 lemon ¼ teaspoon ground white pepper ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper Grated Parmesan cheese (optional, for topping) Steps Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds, and then add the shallot and half of the salt. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until soft. Pour in the peas, remaining salt, and broth. Simmer for 5 minutes, until the peas are soft and have soaked up some of the broth. While the peas are cooking, toast the slivered almonds in the oven at 350°F for about 7 to 12 minutes, until golden. Combine the almonds and basil in a food processor. Pulse until very finely chopped. Add the lemon, white pepper, black pepper, peas, and sauce to the food processor and process until smooth. Toss the pasta with the pea pesto, and top with Parmesan (if desired). https://zenmealplanner.com/shared/recipes/FZqxWNwi/pea-pesto-orecchiette submitted by /u/plantbeard [link] [comments]
