Pasta in any form is a favorite go-to meal, any day of the week. We bake it, boil it, toss it in salads, and put it in our soups, just to name a few of its versatile uses.
I look for all shapes and sizes of dried pasta. Certain shapes are created to hold a sauce—ridged ones, hollow ones, scoops, and shells, all made to give us the perfect bite. While each shape has a purpose in life, any one of them can each be used however we wish.
Pasta can be easily found now in gluten-free, whole wheat, and other healthy versions. It’s definitely something to explore if you haven’t tried these popular varieties.
My traditional red sauce is always well received around our table, but working with different sauces is one of my favorite kitchen experiments.
Most recently, I have been trying to achieve rich, creamy sauces without using heavy cream and butter. Raw cashews are a fantastic way to accomplish this. In this version, I’m adding loads of fresh herbs for a gorgeous, vibrant green sauce. And I’m focusing on using veggies at their peak, so the addition of fresh corn in this pasta dish is right on time.
I’ve used roasted cashews to blend up a topping that gives me the salty feel of parmesan but keeping the dish completely dairy-free.
The combinations and options are practically endless, but I do think this one is a keeper for my table so I’m happy to have taken a chance on creating a dish that’s a little outside our usual plate of pasta.
This pasta recipe makes a fantastic, light meal on its own, or as a side dish for a gameday barbeque. Enjoy food made fresh!
Creamy Pesto Pasta with Fresh Corn 2 ears fresh corn, shucked and cleaned 1 cup raw cashews 1 pound dried pasta, such as rigatoni 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 3/4 cup fresh basil leaves ½ cup fresh Italian flatleaf parsley 2 cloves garlic, peeled 1/8 teaspoon salt Extra herbs for serving, optional Cashew topping, optional, (recipe follows) Lightly steam prepared corn in 1 inch of water, covered with a lid over medium heat for approximately 5 minutes. Remove from water and let cool. When cool enough to handle, cut kernels from the cob and set aside.
Cook pasta per package instructions, drain, and place into a large bowl.
Cover cashews with warm water and let soak for 15 minutes or so. Drain water and place the softened cashews into the cup of a highspeed blender, (smoothie blenders work well for this). Add ½ cup water, and lemon juice. Blend on high until smooth and creamy. Add basil, parsley, garlic, and salt. Blend on high speed until creamy and well combined. Extra water can be added a tablespoonful at a time if mixture is too thick.
Pour sauce over the pasta and toss to coat. Sprinkle corn over the dish and gently toss to combine. Add extra herbs andcashewtoppingtoserveifdesired.Makes4to6servings.
TOPPING:
¼ cup roasted cashews ¼ teaspoon fresh lemon zest 1/8 teaspoon salt Whiz cashews, lemon zest, and salt in a highspeed blender, (a smoothie cup works well for this small amount) for a few seconds, just until crumbly.
Angelina LaRue, author of “The Whole Enchilada: Fresh and Nutritious Southwestern Cuisine,” grew up at White River Lake, lives in Idalou and writes a weekly food column for local newspapers.
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