With its contrast of flavours and textures, this dish is a real winner at meal times
Prep | 10 mins
Cook | 10 mins
Serves | 4
Mindfulness Factors | healthy | plant-based | vegan | dairy-free | 20 minute meal
INGREDIENTS
Pistachio Pesto Pasta
250g pasta shells
4tbsp retained pasta water
Pistachio Pesto
120ml extra virgin olive oil
1/2 lemon, juice and zest of
60g basil, leaves only
100g shelled pistachio nuts
30g vegan Parmesan, grated
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to season
Crispy Onion Rings
1 brown onion, peeled and cut into 1cm slices, with the rings separated
Vegetable oil, enough to 1/3 fill a wok
Batter mix
125g self raising flour
150ml sparkling water (tap water is OK, but the batter won’t be as light)
Sea salt, pinch of
METHOD
First, make the pesto. Add all pesto ingredients to a blender in the order listed above and pulse to a coarse paste. Set aside
Prepare your onion ring batter. Whisk all the ingredients to achieve a smooth creamy texture
Now it’s time to multitask and cook the pasta and the onion rings at the same time. Flick a full kettle on and heat your veg oil in a wok to 180C
When the waters boiled, add to a deep bottom pan with some salt and cook the pasta for around 10 mins (see packet instructions)
While the pasta cooks, batch cook your onion rings. I suggest no more than 4 at a time, otherwise they don’t cook properly. Use a slotted spoon to carefully add the onion rings to the hot oil (it’ll spit so watch out*) and cook for 2-3 mins, until crisp and golden. When they’re ready, use your slotted spoon to transfer the rings to kitchen paper and drain for a couple of mins. Repeat for all batches
When the pastas ready, drain and retain 4tbsp pasta water. Add back to the pan and toss with the pesto and retained pasta water, which will loosen the pesto
Portion into serving bowls and top with the onion rings. Absolutely Delicious. Enjoy x
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*never leave hot oil unattended as it’s dangerous
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