This was a real tester. We had never done a raw pasta before but were so intrigued by other recipes we wanted to give our own a go. It is very handy if you have a mandolin for slicing the zucchini super fine. But you can make it without just on a the broad singular tooth of a grater or a large vegetable peeler.
Zucchini Pasta
- 4 Zucchinis
- 2 tsp Sea salt
- drizzle of olive oil
Sunflower Seed Pesto
- 1 Large bunch fresh Basil
- 1/2 cup sunflower seeds soaked in filtered water overnight
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 Small or 1/2 clove garlic (this is optional depending on how much you love garlic. Calypso is garlic crazy and me not so much so we compromised here)
- 1 Tbs Nutritional Yeast (more if you like a "cheesier" pesto)
- 1 Tbs Lemon juice
- Pepper to season
Creamy Capsicum Sauce
- 1 Red Capsicum, roughly chopped
- 1 Can Cannellini Beans, drained (for a 100% raw option, this could be replaced with long soaked cashews or macadamias)
- 3 Tbs Lemon Juice
- Salt and Pepper to season
Method
- Slice the zucchinis super fine. Discard the slices with lots of skin - first and last (we saved these bits for a stir fry the next night). If you are using a mandolin you want it thin, but not the thinnest setting. About 1.5mm. I then cut the slices in half long ways to have fettuccine thickness. (Note: Again, if your vegetables are organic, you'll want to leave the skins on for maximum goodness, but for conventional vegetables, this is where a lot of the toxins are so you may wish to peel them first.)
- Place all in a bowl and sprinkle with 4 pinches of salt tossing zucchini and letting them sit for 5-10 minutes.
- For the Sunflower Seed Pesto simply combine all ingredients in the food processor adding the oil gradually. This is really something you can change or your liking. Adding more or less citrus, or oil. IMPORTANT: don't add any salt. The zucchini will be salty enough.
- The same goes for the Raw Capsicum Bean Sauce. Combine all ingredients and blend until smooth. You can add more or less lemon to taste. I love love love lemon so i go a bit loco on this one.
- Come back to the zucchinis and they should have noticeably wilted.
Amazing isn't it?! Now they are all soft and pasta-like. There is a lot of water in zucchinis so you may want to get handfuls and gently squeeze the excess water from them. - Pat them dry with a paper towel.
- In bowl mix in the pesto gently with your hands. The zucchinis are quite delicate and you don't want them to break.
- Now serve! If you want to be fancy-pants (and it is rather fun) you can make a pasta TOWERRRR! (Turrets optional)
Simply get anything cylindrical that is the size you want and about an inch tall. You can cut a can to size or we used a cookie cutter. Place it on the middle of the plate and press some pesto pasta into it. - Spread some of the Capsicum Sauce on the outside and garnish with a basil leaf.
- Eat and be amazed that RAW food can be so yummy! (One of our omnivorous guests who was very skeptical about this one named it his favourite at the end, so there you go).
