Amazing, how many dishes can be made by drawing from the vegetable repertoire! Even spaghetti changes shape and content thanks to the flair of José Andrés, who reproduces them using only carrots, vegetables and dried fruits as toppings. Completing it all is the creamy contribution of yogurt: try it to believe.
Photo of Sang An's dish
The dish
It is not necessarily necessary to make an appetizing spaghetti dish to make use of the classic “water and flour” pasta: vegetables are an excellent alternative, if they are implanted with precision and seasoned with panache. Veteran of inclusive gastronomy José Andrés, who has always been involved in humanitarian causes with his World Central Kitchen, a nonprofit organization aimed at distributing hot meals to victims of environmental disasters, teaches us this.
The great chef, included by Time among the 100 most influential personalities on the globe in 2018 and owner of an international brand of restaurants (including Washington DC's Minibar, 2 Michelin stars, and several Bib Gourmands) often offers easy-to-make recipes (as we read on his website) so that everyone can repurpose pantry surpluses to assemble enjoyable menus. There's tomato and watermelon skewers, there's tortilla chips with chips in the filling. And there's carrot noodles, flourless and 100% veg. If that sounds like heresy, consider that a creamy puree of beet and yogurt concurs to bind the elements together, while pistachios perfume the topping and crunch pleasantly under the teeth for a euphony of textures. Need more? Yes, the lively flavors of mint and cilantro, perfectly integrated into the botanical repertoire: from first course to appetizer is a snap! Here you have the original recipe reported by Epicurious.
The recipe for "Vegetable Spaghetti"
Ingredients for 8 people
(With these amounts you can make a "veg spaghetti" if you have guests for dinner, otherwise halve the quantities)
- 900 g carrots, peeled
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons orange juice
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 8 teaspoons shelled raw pistachios
- 1 large beet cooked, peeled and diced
- 1/2 cup nonfat Greek yogurt
- 64 fresh raspberries
- 16 mint leaves
- 16 cilantro leaves
Procedure
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Half-fill a bowl with ice and water. Cut the carrots with a spiral cutter into long, thin spirals (or julienne). Then cut each amberjack crosswise to make sections 7-8 cm long.
Blanch the carrots in hot water for about 10 seconds. Remove and plunge them into ice water. Drain and set aside.
Whisk oil, orange juice and vinegar in a bowl. Add salt and mix well. Set aside.
Toast pistachios in a small frying pan until fragrant. Cut into pieces.
Blend diced beets in a blender until smooth; set aside.
Mix the carrots with the dressing. Divide carrots among 8 small plates. Place 1 tablespoon yogurt on each plate, next to each carrot nest, then pour 1 tablespoon beet puree over yogurt.
Divide the raspberries and pistachios among the plates. Garnish with mint and cilantro to taste (those who do not tolerate cilantro can safely omit it, as the dish is rich in aromatic nuances).
