Have you ever tried pesto pasta, especially spaghetti? I've been interested in trying a spaghetti pesto recipe for quite some time. But unfortunately, some spaghetti pesto recipes are not my comfort food type when I did some research on the internet. So I'm afraid that my family and I won't be able to enjoy that kind of food.
I think that pesto spaghetti has a pretty strong green leaves taste. Meanwhile, the taste of herbs and spices is lacking. Those of us who are used to enjoying the taste of food with strong spices will find it difficult to accept foods like pesto spaghetti.
As if trying to get rid of my fear because I like new challenges. Finally, I tried to make my version of the spaghetti pesto recipe. I changed some of the basic ingredients to suit my family's taste buds. I want my family to be able to enjoy the spaghetti pesto too.
Avocado As The Hero
Instead of using basil as a main ingredient for pesto, I chose to use avocado for green pesto this time. Avocado is the main ingredient in the pesto which is combined with some of the ingredients I have at home, of course.
It's safe to say that avocado is the hero this time around. Avocado this time makes me more excited because avocado is my favorite Ingredient. Besides that, I found very good quality avocado here.
The outer skin of a butter avocado is red when ripe. On the inside, it looks smooth and clean, with no visible black spots at all. Those things made me feel more confident that the final taste of avocado pesto would be even better.
For other vegetables as a mix, at first, I wanted to use spinach as a mixture of avocado pesto. But I don't have the type of spinach (Brazilian spinach) that is usually used for green pesto mixes.
So instead of using spinach, I used a crunchy Romaine Lettuce that I happen to still have in the pantry. Romaine Lettuce has a green leaf taste which is not strong. It means a lot to make the final taste of pesto familiar to my family's tongue.
Apart from that, I also use garlic to make avocado pesto more acceptable to my family's tongue. In my family, I am used to using garlic or red union at every cooking opportunity. However, this time I didn't use red onion because it wasn't suitable for mixing with avocado pesto. So, I only use garlic and onion to enhance the flavor of the avocado pesto.
Using Fried Peanuts
Maybe you are more familiar with almonds as a pesto mixture. For me and the people of Indonesia, almonds are not popular because they are not a local type of nut. For local types of peanuts, we are more familiar with peanuts.
That's why we use peanut sauce recipes more often than almond sauce. So this time I will use peanuts as a substitute for almonds or the types of nuts that are usually used in pesto recipes.
I can easily find peanut supplies. Also, this time I don't need to buy peanuts at the store because I still have them in my pantry. The most important thing is that the price of peanuts is cheaper than if I buy almonds which I have to look for in a certain store.
We don't need to doubt the taste of peanuts as a sauce. About that, I guarantee it will make a great meal. You can also find it in traditional Indonesian recipes such as Gado-Gado (vegetable salad served by boiling it first, then dousing it with peanut sauce). By the way, you should pay attention to whether you or your family members have an allergy to peanuts. You can avoid this recipe if you or your family members have allergies to peanuts. If you want to keep trying this recipe, you can remove the bean ingredient.
To use peanuts for this avocado pesto, I have to fry the peanuts first. Why did I choose the peanut frying method? This is to speed up the cooking process. For those of you who have more time or are considering more serious health problems, you can use the method of roasting peanuts in an oven or air fryer to avoid using more oil.
Avocado Pesto Spaghetti Recipe
The Ingredients
- 250 grams of vegan spaghetti
- a ripe avocado
- 1 cup of peanuts
- half an onion
- 5 cloves of garlic
- a handful of Romaine Lettuce (or you can substitute spinach if you have Brazilian spinach in stock)
- 50 ml - 100 ml of coconut milk cream or other types of plant-based cream
- salt to taste
- pepper to taste (optional)
- Enough water to cook spaghetti according to the type of spaghetti you are using. (So make sure you follow the instructions for the spaghetti product you are using).
Fried peanuts until brown. Keep watching the peanuts so they don't burn. They will quickly burn. So use low heat and stir the peanuts frequently.
After the peanuts are done frying, drain briefly to reduce the remaining oil. Then mix the fried peanuts with all the pesto ingredients in a food processor.
Blend until it creates a creamy pesto. Then side aside.
Bring the water to a boil first. Then add Spaghetti and sprinkle with a pinch of salt.
Cook for 8-15 minutes depending on the type of Spaghetti you are using. I use 15 minutes. Then drain before mixing with pesto.
Heat cooking oil. Then cook sliced onion and chopped garlic until fragrant.
Once the garlic and onions smell nice, it's time to add the avocado pesto. Don't forget to add pepper and sprinkle with a pinch of fine salt. Avoid using hard-texture salt as it will lump in the pesto. Also, use the lowest heat so they don't burn. Keep string for a while then turn off the fire.
Add Spaghetti after the heat is off. Stir the Spaghetti in the pesto carefully so the Spaghetti doesn't crumble. After they are well mixed with the avocado pesto, the spaghetti is ready to be served.
Serving Spaghetti
I served Avocado Pesto Spaghetti sprinkled with sesame seeds. For garnishes, I use cherry tomatoes and Romaine Lettuce.
The final taste of this type of spaghetti dish is quite good although not our favorite. I am quite happy because my family can finish this avocado pesto spaghetti meal. My partner, added lots of hot sauce so his tongue could accept the new meal for him.
I'm glad I can accept avocado pesto spaghetti on my tongue. How about you guys? What's your favorite pesto recipe?
Thank you for reading my blog and reblog if you want my blog this time worthy of reading by others.
Best Regards,
Anggrek Lestari
Anggrek Lestari is an Indonesian fiction writer who has published two major books. Now She is a full-time content creator. She has a goal to share life, poem, and food content that makes others happy and can get inspiration.
Contact Person: authoranggreklestari@gmail.com
Discord: anggreklestari#3009