PPN Carrot Pesto Pasta Bake

Maybe it is because Sylvia slept almost 12 hours without a break last night for the first time in about a month.  Yesterday I had lots of things to complain about.  Today life seems full of good things.  It is autumn and I love wrapping ourselves in warm clothes and dark nights.  Having the table in the middle of the kitchen makes our time there so much more fun.  Sylvia is always a joy but this weekend has amused us with giggling fits, searched for the moon in the dusk sky, and she is saying "yes" a lot.

It seems odd that "yes" should sneak into her vocabulary so late in the peace.  Why would you need to say things like "ukelele" and "dragon" and "Christmas tree" before "yes"?  After hearing "no" so often I love to hear "yes" and the firm little nod that often goes with it.  Maybe she had to wait until life was a bit easier, before she could say "yes".

 

I made this Carrot Pesto Pasta Bake last week and it fed us well.  I hadn't been grocery shopping so I had to make do with what was in the house.  There were too many carrots.  I couldn't think what to do with them.  I went to my bookmarks and found the recipe on Veggie Num Num.  By the time I had made the changes, it looked quite different.  I used different nuts and burnt them ever so slightly, despite warnings from Trudy.  I added smoked cheese which dominated but took depth of flavour from the pesto.

E says it was one of my strangest dishes.  The finely chopped carrot wasn't quite cooked in the final pasta bake.  The nuts could have been ground more finely if I had put them in the food processor before the other pesto ingredients.  The garlic was so strong in the unbaked pesto that I was glad I had halved Trudy's recipe and didn't have leftovers to use for dip.  This is not a complaint.  Merely the facts.

We both loved this pasta bake.  Pasta can be too heavy for me.  I am always on the look out for interesting dishes that manage to serve pasta with lots of vegetables.  This was one of them.  It was unlike other pasta dishes I have made.  Full of nutty texture and smoky sharp flavours.  Full of vegetables.  Soft and pleasing, without being creamy.  I even loved the crunchy bits of pasta on top.

I used the vegetables in the fridge but any would do.  The cheese wasn't absolutely necessary but if you don't have smoked cheese I would recommend adding some smoked paprika.  Then again, I am quite smitten with smoky flavours these days.  It's all a matter of taste.

I am sending this to Sweet Artichoke for Presto Pasta Nights #209, the inspiring blog event run by Ruth of Once Upon a Feast.

Previously on Green Gourmet Giraffe:
This time last year: Sappho Bookstore Cafe - for the literati who lunch...
This time two years ago: Wholemeal Chocolate Cake
This time three years ago: A Long-winded Nut Roast Post

Carrot Pesto Pasta Bake with Smoked Cheese
adapted from Veggie Num Num
serves 4-6

Carrot Pesto:

• 300g grated carrot (approx 4 medium carrots)
• 55g almonds, toasted
• 25g pine nuts, toasted
• 1 dessertspoon of tahini
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• juice of ½ medium
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 tbsp nutritional yeast flakes 
• dash of chilli powder
• handful of parsley

For the Pasta Bake:

• 225g dried pasta - I used vegeroni
• 400g pumpkin, peeled and chopped
• 70g smoked cheese, grated
• 1 tbsp parmesan cheese, grated
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 1/2 red capsicum, finely chopped
• 2 mushrooms, finely chopped

To make the carrot pesto: lightly toast the nuts and grind in the food processor.  Add remaining ingredients and blend until you have a paste - I had to scrape down the sides a few times to get it to a paste.

To make the pasta bake: first cook the pasta according to the packet (usually approximately 10 minutes).  Add the pumpkin to the pasta about halfway through so it is mostly cooked when your pasta is done.  When the pasta is cooked, drain and tip into a large mixing bowl or back into the saucepan you cooked it in.  Mix in pesto and remaining ingredients.  Tip into a lightly greased casserole dish.  Bake at 200 C (or 180 C fan forced) for about 25 - 30 minutes until golden brown on top.  Ours kept for 3-4 days and was great for dinner and lunch.

On the stereo:
Shamal: Gong