
Shorter days….Longer nights…Chilly winds…Bulky clothing…Hibernating animals..Dying plants…Early sunset…Late sunrise….All these signs herald the arrival of Father Winter and set the stage for warm, comfort food to drive away the moody blues.
Creamy soups, piping hot chocolate, perfectly roasted nuts and al dente pasta are all my soothing, comforting companions in the food section, during these cold months and on those lines, I have been making this recipe quite often in the past month. I found this recipe on Martha Stewart’s website and I have tweaked it a wee bit to suit my taste.
Though pasta comes in various shapes, my husband and I have a soft spot for tubular varieties like penne and elbows, though occasionally rigotini, spaghetti, farfalle, fusili,conchiglie do find their way into my kitchen…
Each pasta shape works best with a particular type of sauce. According to ‘http://www.ilovepasta.org, “When making delicious pasta dishes, be sure to choose a pasta shape and sauce that complement each other. Thin, delicate pastas like angel hair or thin spaghetti, should be served with light, thin sauces. Thicker pasta shapes, like fettuccine, work well with heavier sauces. Pasta shapes with holes or ridges like mostaccioli or radiatore, are perfect for chunkier sauces.”
This particular recipe which I have highlighted today called Pasta with Almond Pea Pesto is a non-diary based dish deriving its smooth, creamy consistency from almonds. It has just a hint of sweetness from peas, which gets delightfully complimented by the tartness of lemon juice. Added to all this, lemon zest embraces the dish with a fresh burst of flavor and black pepper provides the much needed spicyness. We simply loved this dish and I hope you would enjoy it too!