Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Super Quick Tomato Basil Cream Pasta

                                    from VeganYumYum


Why is it that recipes that taste SO good somehow manage to look like baby vomit so often? *SIGH*

Actually, it just dawned on me that I've posted quite a few scatalogical recipes (mainly ones that look like shit and vomit) over these last couple years. Which is really quite disgusting. But which also explains all the weird google searches.

Case in point...



VOMITS:

Recent Fettucine Alfreda





Less recent Curried Split Pea Soup





Baby Vomit Syrup






FECES:

Chickpea Nuggets





Veganomicon Mole Sauce





Slow-Cooker Vegetable Vindaloo




This is making me think I really need to have a Scatology-themed Dinner Night. How gross (and thus, totally awesome) would THAT be?

Anyways, back to today's recipe. Last night I whipped up VeganYumYum's Super Quick Tomato Basil Cream Pasta. And I must admit: It was super. It was quick. It was tomato. It was basil. It was cream. And it was pasta. SCORE!

It also was really quite tasty. Alas, my pics aren't quite so pretty as hers, but nonetheless: good. I *DO* recommend throwing in at least a TAD bit of the optional wine. Gives it a depth and perkiness that is otherwise kind of missing. But yes, it is creamy and delish. And I plan on gorging on more tonight.

I've reposted her recipe with quantities doubled (so as to serve four). I also ended up using 4 slightly smaller tomatoes, which resulted in me having to use a bit more cashews and tomato paste. But I'm not going to reflect that below. It'll just be straight-up doubling.



INGREDIENTS:
  • 2 large, ripe tomatos (4 cups roughly chopped, 3 cups blended)

  • 1 c. raw cashews

  • 2 T. tomato paste

  • 1/2 c. water

  • 4 T. olive oil

  • 4-48 cloves garlic, minced, optional

  • 1 lb. whole wheat spaghetti

  • Salt, to taste

  • 2-3 T. wine or water, optional

  • 2-4 t. freshly cracked, coarse black pepper

  • 1-2 large handfuls fresh basil leaves, chopped

DIRECTIONS

Put a large pot of salted water on to boil.
Core the tomatoes, then roughly chop them. Add them to your blender, seeds, skin and all. Add cashews, tomato paste, and water. Blend until very smooth.

Add olive oil to a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add garlic and saute until golden, being careful not to burn. Once water is boiling, add pasta. Pour sauce from the blender into the saute pan and bring to a simmer. Add salt and let cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

If desired add wine/water to thin out the sauce. Taste and season more if necessary. Let simmer until pasta is finished cooking. Once pasta is cooked, drain. Add pasta to the saute pan with black pepper and freshly chopped basil leaves. Toss to coat. Serve immediately, garnishing with more pepper and basil.

Serves 4-6.

(Recipe from VeganYumYum)

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