Dried tomatoes, chili pepper, cashews, almonds and hazelnuts are some of the ingredients of this very special pesto, rich in taste and health. In fact, dried tomatoes are a precious source of lycopene, which is a powerful antioxidant, dried fruit provides unsaturated fatty acids, important for heart health, chili pepper is rich in vitamin C, which strengthens the immune system. To complete this delicious recipe we added crispy cauliflower florets, steamed and quickly passed in a pan. In this way, by avoiding boiling, we can preserve a higher quantity of glucosinolates, which are substances that, during chewing, come into contact with enzymes in order to release other substances, called isothiocyanates, with a powerful antitumor action (Hwang et al, Prev Nutr Food Sci, 2019).
Ingredients
320 grams of durum wheat pasta in a short format such as fusilli or penne
1 small cauliflower
150 grams of dried tomatoes in oil
30 grams of mixed dry fruit, such as cashew nuts, almonds and hazelnuts
2 tablespoons of pitted black olives
1 clove of garlic
Extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt
Chili pepper
Drain the dried tomatoes and cut them into coarse pieces, slice the olives and chop the dried fruit. Clean the cauliflower and divide it into florets. Steam the cauliflower for ten minutes. Meanwhile, chop the garlic and brown it slowly in a pan with extra virgin olive oil. Add the cauliflower and sauté it for two minutes. Add the dried tomatoes and olives and cook for a couple of minutes. Boil the pasta and drain it al dente, pour the pasta into the pan with the sauce of dried tomatoes and cauliflower and cook for a few more minutes to allow it to flavor. Serve with chopped nuts and a sprinkling of chili pepper
