Julienne of zucchini with pistachio pesto

8 Servings

Ingredients

Quantity Ingredient
¼ cup Pistachio nuts; shells removed
⅓ cup Pine nuts
3 mediums Garlic cloves; see variation
1 cup Fresh basil leaves; firmly packed
½ cup Extra virgin olive oil; or more
¼ teaspoon Salt; to taste
5 tablespoons Unsalted butter
3 pounds Zucchini; trimmed

Directions

[Pesto 4-5 mins]* Parboil the pistachio nuts for 2 minutes, then rub briskly between towels to remove the skins. Put pistachios, pine nuts, and garlic in the bowl of a food processor fitted with steel blade. Process to a fine paste. Add the basil and pro cess until pureed. With the machine running, add enough olive oil in a thin stream to make a pesto with a mayonnaise consistency. Season with salt.

*The pesto may be made ahead; refrigerated or frozen. Return to room temperature before using.

[Prep 10 mins; Saute 4-5 mins] Wash zucchini; trim the ends. Cut into matchstick-width julienne -- as long as possible. Saute gently in gutter for 4 to 5 minutes until tender-crisp. Add some pesto and toss to heat through. Serve immediately, on individu al plates; divide the remaining pesto among the servings.

Variations: -Substitute 2 large shallots, minced, for a more delicate flavor -Mix with strands of spaghetti or linguine..

(c) 1986 by Los Angeles County Museum of Art. NY: Clarkson N. Potter, Inc.

[mc-recipe: patH Sep 96]

Recipe By : California Cooking: Parties, Picnics & Celebrations Posted to Recipe Archive - 29 Sep 96 Date: Sun, 29 Sep 1996 20:04:03 -0400 (EDT) From: Best of the Fairs

NOTES : A striking treatment of summer squash: strands of zucchini toss with dark green, nutty Basil Pesto This recipe does not use lemon juice and so is particularly tasty when made with lemon basil.

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