avocado pesto pasta

We love avocados. They are not available in Lebanon, at least not for the people we know there, so bob get's the credit for injecting them as an extra must-have ingredient into the nearly daily simple traditional salad made by ani's parents and us. He never saw an avocado when he was growing up, but does recall when Piero (who taught us sundried tomato pesto allowed for variations of the classic recipe) introduced us to them as an appetizer filled with olive oil, lemon and pressed garlic in their half cut seed hollows. This year in an effort to encourage higher HDL good cholesterol levels, bob increased from half an avocado per salad for two to a whole one. This pasta sauce recipe fell into our laps looking for an imaginative way to make dinner one night, and try out something new with these green food jewels. Giada inspired the pesto twist to the creamy avocado recipe that popped up in an internet search for avocado + pasta. The power greens were bob's idea.

The result: interesting and worth repeating. BUT a pesto purist friend across the ocean reacting to the Facebook posted photo took issue with the idea of stretching pesto beyond her more strict specifications for the recipe.So if you have rigid ideas about pesto, pretend the word is not mentioned here and judge this variation on its own merits as "just avocado pasta".

ingredients

pasta:
1/2 lb bucatini or spaghetti or ... like ordinary pesto, this works with many shapes, use your imagination
sauce:
1 ripe Hass avocado
3 garlic cloves
1/2 t salt
1/2 t freshly ground black pepper
1/2 lemon, juice of
1/2 c toasted pine nuts
addins:
2-3 c power greens, or arugula, or spinach shrunk over heat with a touch of water
1/2 c freshly grated parmigiano, plus extra per serving

instructions

  1.  Start your pasta water boiling and when ready, salt and dump in the pasta.
  2. Toast the pine nuts in a nonstick pan.
  3. Combine all the sauce ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth.
  4. When the pasta is al dente, combine the hot pasta with the cooked greens and cheese and then the sauce and mix coating the pasta evenly.

notes

  1. http://teaspooncomm.com/teaspoonofspice/2013/08/spinach-avocado-alfredo-sauce-the-recipe-redux/
  2. http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/linguine-with-avocado-and-arugula-pesto-recipe.html
  3. http://ohsheglows.com/2011/01/31/15-minute-creamy-avocado-pasta/
  4. Illustrations available.
avocadopesto.htm: 10-apr-2014 [what, ME cook? © 1984 dr bob enterprises]