Primal Pistachio Pesto ‘Pasta’
Sorry for the title. I got carried away with alliteration. It’s not pasta at all – it’s courgette (zucchini) noodles. Still – makes for a catchy title, eh? Seeing as I’m trying to do a bit of a january thing, you know, detox and get back to basics, for the foreseeable future, I was worried that my recipe posting might wane. But hopefully, I can still come up with some tasty recipes that you folks will enjoy. Especially those low carb afficiandos like myself.
This recipe involves a bit of cheese, sorry Paleo Police. I have made pesto without parmesan, but it’s just not the same. I suppose it really wouldn’t be pesto without the cheese. Then again – it doesn’t contain basil or pine nuts either…. Instead, I use arugula (rocket) and pistachio. I was thrilled to find shelled pistachios in the market here in Spain – I had NO idea I could buy them. Stay tuned for more recipes involving pistachios, I’m sure!
You’ll end up with quite a bit of pesto. You’ll find uses for it, I’m sure. You could stuff some cherry tomatoes with it and make some Pesto Poppers. Or you can add a bit more oil to it and use it as a salad dressing. Spread it on your baked sweet potato or make a tasty omelet. Heck, the possibilities are endless!
- 100 grams arugula leaves (rocket)
- 2 garlic cloves
- 70 grams parmesan cheese
- 40 grams pistachios (shelled)
- 1 pinch sea salt
- 1 pinch black pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons creme fraiche
- 2 courgettes ((zucchini))
- 400 grams grilled chicken
Put the arugula and pistachios in a food processor and blend well. Then add the parmesan and garlic – I recommend chopping up the parmesan or using grated, otherwise you get chunks of parmesan. Blend well!
Add the pinch of salt, black pepper and then two tablespoons of olive oil and carry on blending (you might have to scrap down the sides) until more or less creamy.
Stop here if you just want pesto for other uses! Carry on if you’re cooking the ‘pasta’.
Make your courgette (zucchini) noodles with the spiralizer. I made ‘fettucini’ as I had the spaghetti ones earlier this week!
Grill the chicken if you’re using fresh, or just chop up some leftover chicken.
In a wok (or big pan), add a drop of oil and throw the courgette in and start cooking. You want it ‘al dente’ so no need to cook it too long. I’d say about 5-10 minutes would do the trick.
When it’s more or less cooked, spoon the creme fraiche (or equivalent) and 2 tablespoons of the pesto into the wok with the noodles. Throw in your chopped cooked chicken. Stir it about a bit and serve!