This story starts with a basil plant I found on my desk at work, on a Thursday morning. Its strong, sweet aroma and flavor has made this herb a culinary favorite worldwide. It's also a powerful healing herb used in traditional remedies to treat many ailments such as headaches, stomach spasms, arthritis, respiratory and ear infections, stings and bites.
Basil contains exceptionally high levels of essential nutrients: Vitamin A, and is a good source of Vitamin K, Iron, and minerals. This particular one I found on my desk is sweet or Mediterranean basil, and suggestions from fellow foodies on what to do with it were endless: pizzas, pasta, curries, pestos....but I thought it would be great to create some new dishes around it. Inspired by summer: light, fresh, and simple!
Basil, Parsley and Courgette Pasta
Ingredients:
200 g spaghetti
4 tbsp olive oil (or more to taste)
3 cloves garlic (or more to taste), chopped
2 courgettes, grated
2 tbsp parsley, chopped
2 tbsp basil, chopped
1/2 tsp chili flakes
zest of 1 lemon
salt and pepper to taste
parmesan, grated to taste
1. Cook the spaghetti in salted water according to directions in the packet
2. Heat olive oil in medium heat, add the garlic and saute for 2-3 minutes
3. Add the courgettes, parsley, basil, chili flakes, and lemon zest and saute for another 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Drain the spaghetti, leaving a little amount of water and toss with the sauce
5. Divide into serving bowls and top with grated parmesan and more basil leaves.
Serves 2.
