Basil Cauliflower Fettuccine in Early Spring
Pasta that Feeds the Soul In Preparation for Planting Season.
Feb 26, 2009
Reminiscent of full-blown pesto but more mild and mellow, this pre-planting season pasta dish makes good use of the whole basil leaves you preserved last summer. It also provides vegetables and whole grains to make it blissfully healthy, and ghee and milk for protein and richness.
Ingredients:
- 2 T Ghee (clarified butter)
- 2 T Whole Wheat pastry flour
- 1 C Whole Milk
- 1 C Mushroom or other Vegetable Broth
- 2 C frozen whole basil leaves (fresh if you have them)
- 1 half yellow bell pepper, cut in strips
- 2 C small cauliflower florets
- salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
- 8 oz. whole wheat fettucine noodles.
Procedures:
- Boil 2 quarts of water in a medium sauce pan for the pasta.
- Put the pasta in the boiling water and cook for 7-10 minutes.
- When the pasta is done, drain it and rinse it with cool water if you need a lot more time to finish the sauce (you could start the sauce by doing steps 4, 5 and 6 while the water is coming to a boil). Cool water rinsing prevents overcooking and mushy pasta if need be, depending on when you start the sauce.
- To start the sauce, melt the ghee in a medium frying pan.
- Add the flour to the melted ghee and combine into a bubbling thick paste.
- Gradually add the milk and mushroom broth, stirring constantly, allowing the liquid and the paste (also known as rue) to combine and thicken a bit before adding more.
- When you have combined all of the liquid with the rue, let it sit over medium heat until it is bubbling, and then add the bell pepper, sliced into thin spears and the cauliflower florets.
- Stir the vegetables into the sauce and season with salt and pepper.
- Stir in the whole basil leaves after rinsing them thoroughly.
- Allow the sauce to simmer until the vegetables are tender.
- Pour the sauce over the cooked pasta and enjoy!
Serving Suggestions
This pasta dish serves two and is great with fresh bread and real butter and a nice salad. Although it contains enough for two servings with accompaniments, it can be eaten alone and provides enough for a second helping if done so.
Ghee, the clarified butter in the sauce, opens up the body, encourages energy and flow, and makes the whole meal more pure and fresh, otherwise known as sattvic in Ayurveda. According to Amadea Morningstar, ghee and butter in moderation help keep the mind clear and focused.
Freezing whole leaves seems to be an effective preservation method for basil, since purees often fade and darken with extended time in the freezer. Drying is a good way to preserve basil, but the leaves tend to break up when dried. Keeping the basil leaves whole makes their flavor much more satisfying.
Reference:
Morningstar, Amadea. "Ayurvedic Cooking for Westerners." Twin Lakes: Lotus, 1995.
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