Bluedot Living will regularly run recipes and tips from Pascale Beale, the popular Santa Barbara-based chef, teacher, and cookbook author.
Beale has long been a proponent of cooking with in-season ingredients. “Every season has its own stars, I believe it’s worth waiting for them,” Beale told Bluedot contributing editor Catherine Walthers in this conversation.
She is also passionate about using every last bit of food in your pantry, and in her regular cooking classes (available online), she stresses to make the most of what you’ve already got. “There is so, so much food waste,” she told Walthers. “Learn to make the most of leftovers, the carcass from a roast chicken kept to make stock for example. I like to do something called a TDF (Tour de Frigidaire), something made out of all the little bits and pieces left in the fridge.”
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RECIPE: Spring Pasta
- Yield: Serves 4
Description
This recipe first appeared on Beale’s website, where she wrote:
This is a quick, light and easy ‘pasta’ to prepare. It looks elaborate, but the lovely zucchini curls are simply created by continuously peeling the zucchini.
Ingredients
For the Pasta:
- 4 yellow squash – ends trimmed, then using a vegetable peeler, peeled entirely into long ribbons, divided
- 2 carrots (I used yellow) – ends trimmed, then using a vegetable peeler, peeled entirely into long ribbons
- 1 large shallot – peeled and thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup raw peanuts or another nut of your choice
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped chives
- Coarse sea salt
- Black pepper
- 2 zucchini – ends trimmed, then using a vegetable peeler, peeled entirely into long ribbons
- 4–6 asparagus stalks ends trimmed, then using a vegetable peeler, peeled entirely into long ribbons
- Small handful of fresh basil leaves – use lemon basil if you can find it
- Grated Parmesan (optional)
For the Pesto Sauce:
- 1 tablespoon of your favorite pesto
- Zest and juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees (convection), or 400 degrees (regular). Line a baking pan with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl combine half the yellow squash ribbons, the carrots, shallot, peanuts, olive oil and lemon juice. Toss well to combine so that the strips are evenly coated. Spread the vegetables out over the parchment lined pan. Season with salt and pepper and scatter the chives over the top. Roast for 5-7 minutes until ‘al dente’, the vegetables should still have some bite to them.
- In a small bowl combine the pesto sauce ingredients and whisk together well.
- In a large serving bowl, combine the remaining squash, zucchini and asparagus with the roasted vegetables. Toss gently to combine. Drizzle the pesto over the ‘pasta’ and scatter the basil leaves over the top. If using, freshly grate parmesan over the vegetables.
