The Australian Women’s Weekly Food — November 2017

Fresh herbs add a flavour boost to just about any savoury

dish and sometimes a few sweet ones, too. And they’re often

a star ingredient – in pesto, forexample, inventedto make

the most of plentiful basil when it’s in season.

PHOTOGRAPHER BEN DEARNLEYSTYLIST LUCY TWEEDPHOTOCHEF DOMINIC SMITH

LEAFY HERB VARIETIES

BASILis widely available, and plays a
major role in both western and eastern
cookery. Green basil is commonly
used in Italian and Mediterranean
cooking, while Thai basil and red
basil are more commonly found in
Asian cookery. All varieties have
a pungent aniseed taste.

CORIANDERcanbeusedinits
entirety, from leaves to stems to
roots, especially in curry pastes.
But wash the roots well before use.
While native to the Middle East,
it’s used extensively in Asian food.

MINTis at its peak in summer,
although grown in hot houses most of
the year. Mint is used extensively in
Mediterranean cooking. Vietnamese
mint, found in Vietnamese−style
dishes, is not actually a “true” mint.

PARSLEYcould be thought of as the
most commonly used herb – its mild
flavour goes with just about any dish.
Available as flat−leaf and curly leaf.

ZESTYLEMON&ROCKET

PESTO SPAGHETTI

PREP + COOK TIME 25 MINUTES SERVES 4

2 medium lemons (280g)

500g spaghetti

½ cup (75g) roasted unsalted cashews

⅓ cup (50g) roasted pine nuts

1 cup firmly packed fresh basil leaves

50g rocket leaves

1 teaspoon sea salt flakes

1¼ cups (100g) finely grated

parmesan

1¼ cups (310ml) extra virgin olive oil

100g rocket leaves, extra

½ cup watercress sprigs

1 Finely grate rind from one lemon.

Remove rind from remaining lemon

with a zester (or cut rind into thin

strips avoiding the white pith).

Squeeze juice from lemons; you will

need ¼ cup.

2 Cook spaghetti in a largesaucepan

of boiling salted water for 8 minutes

or until almost tender; drain. Return

to pan to keep warm.

3 Meanwhile,to make pesto, blend

or process nuts, basil, rocket, lemon

juice, salt, 1 cup of the parmesan and

1 cup of the oil until almost smooth.

Season to taste.

4 Heat remaining oil in a large

frying pan, add pesto, pasta and

grated rind; toss until heated through.

5 Serve spaghetti topped with extra

rocket, remaining parmesan, lemon

zest and watercress sprigs.

BUYINGLook for full bunches with

brightgreen leaves and firm, intact

stems and/or roots. Avoid limp herbs.

STORINGWrap herb bunches in

damp paper towel and store in the

crisper section of the fridge, or in

a jar of water. Ensure paper towel

is kept damp, as it can dry out

within a day or so.

USINGChop or tear leaves to add

to dishes, or process to make pastes.

Chop just before adding to food, as

leaves can bruise and discolour easily.

COOK’S

NOTES

ZESTY LEMON &

ROCKET PESTO SPAGHETTI

The lemon juice in the pesto

will discolour the mixture

quickly, so it’s best to use the

pesto as soon as possible.

If you do need to make the

pesto ahead of time, omit the

juice when preparing it in

step 3; store, covered tightly,

in the fridge. When you’re

ready, stir the juice into the

pesto and continue with the

recipe from step 4.

94 AWW FOOD • ISSUE THIRTY FOUR

In Season