29-06-2013

A summertime (vegan) pasta

Fettuccine with avocado, tomatoes and garlic stems. A quick and tasty recipe

Fettuccine with avocado, tomatoes and garlic stems

Fettuccine with avocado, tomatoes and garlic stems by Daniela Cicioni, a dish that can be enjoyed warm or cold, with a seasoning that doesn’t require cooking, suitable for any kind of pasta

You can enjoy this dish warm or cold. The seasoning doesn’t require any cooking and is suitable for any kind of pasta, even though the perfect match is with fettuccine made with semolina and chestnut flour, mixing the sweet-bitter notes of the chestnuts with the buttery avocado. The fettuccine can be found in shops selling regional products (the best proportion is 80% durum wheat semolina flour, and 20% chestnut flour).

For those who want to take on the challenge of preparing the fettuccine themselves: mix 260 g of durum wheat semolina flour, 65 g of chestnut flour, half a teaspoon of fine salt and enough water so that the dough is smooth and elastic. Wrap the dough in cling-film and keep it in the fridge for 1 hour. Roll it out with a rolling pin or with a pasta machine until you obtain a 1.5 mm thickness. Cut into stripes.
The stems of the garlic are called “tallo d’aglio”, in Italian, and it is the stalk from which the garlic flower will blossom. It is cut when they are about 20-25 cm long, so that the bulb can grow larger. It has an herbaceous flavour, it is fresh and less spicy than a garlic clove, and it’s also easier to digest. As an alternative, you can use scallion instead.

Fettuccine with avocado, tomatoes and garlic stems

Recipe for 4 people

Ingredients
320 g chestnut flour fettuccine, hulled wheat spaghetti, or durum wheat spaghetti
2 ripe avocados (choose the fuerte variety, with the elongated shape: it has a bright green and fine skin, it’s creamier and tastier than the hass variety which is round and has a dark and rough skin and is usually more watery)
2 garlic stems (keep the flowers for decorating)
2 tablespoons of lemon juice
1-2 two fresh hot chilli peppers, cut very thin, removing the seeds (to taste)
16 cherry tomatoes
20 fresh mint leaves (avoid peppermint as it is too strong)
20 basil leaves
4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil (better if spicy and fruity)
½ teaspoon of black cumin seeds (nigella sativa)
unrefined seas salt

Daniela Cicioni

Daniela Cicioni

Method
Cut the tomatoes into halves, put them in a bowl and season them with salt and two tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil.
Cut the garlic stems (or the scallion) into very thin slices and put them to a side.
Peel the avocado and dice it into 1 cm cubes. Put these in a large bowl (large enough to contain the pasta too) and season them right away with lemon juice, salt and two tablespoons of oil.
Chop the basil and mint very thinly, add to the avocado together with the chilli pepper and the garlic stems (keep some slices to a side for the decoration), mix and cover.
Cook the pasta in lots of salted water, drain it and pour it in the bowl with the avocado and the other ingredients. Add the tomatoes and mix delicately.

Composing the dish
Form a cone of pasta and decorate with some mint and basil leaves, the flowers of the garlic and some slices of garlic stems plus the black cumin.


Naturalmente

Healthy, natural and vegetarian cuisine

by

Daniela Cicioni

Vegan and rawist chef based in Como

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