Fettuccine with raw avocado "Alfredo"


In my attempt to create a vegan version of Fettuccine Alfredo, I tried out many recipes that included nutritional yeast and a bevy of other ingredients in minuscule quantities to imitate the "cheesy" flavor. Well, the end result never really great and I ended up with an ingredient I wouldn't normally use. So this recipe came to me as a result of being too lazy to go to the market and too frugal to buy anything too exotic. The avocado and pistachios gives the sauce the richness and texture of the classic Alfredo sauce. Enjoy!

Fettuccine with raw avocado "Alfredo"

Ingredients

1 lb. Fettuccine or any long pasta

20-30 basil leaves

1/2 cup nuts - roasted and unsalted (if you only have salted ones, they are okay too, just reduce the amount of salt in the recipe)*

2 ripe but firm avocados - roughly chopped

2-3 cloves of garlic - roughly chopped.

1/4 -1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 tbsp lemon juice

1 tbsp lemon zest

1/4 cup unseasoned toasted bread crumbs 

Salt and Pepper to taste

Roasted red bell pepper (optional)

Directions

Put the basil, nuts, avocados, garlic, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt and pepper in the food processor and process until smooth drizzling in the extra virgin olive oil until it has reached the desired consistency. It should have the consistency of a thick mayonnaise. Reserve some basil leaves for garnishing the dish. Pour out into a large bowl and set aside.

Bring a pot of water to a boil and add 1tbsp salt to it. Boil the pasta according to package instructions. When the pasta is boiled, reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid, and drain. Add the hot pasta to the bowl with the sauce and toss to mix. Add in the toasted bread crumbs and roasted pepper and toss.  If the sauce seems too thick, add some of the water used to cook the pasta, 2 tbsp at a time. The sauce should cling to the pasta and not be soupy at all. Serve with a sprinkle extra bread crumbs, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and garnish with basil leaves.

*I used pistachios in this recipe, but you may use whatever you have on hand. Walnuts, almonds, cashews or pine nuts are really delicious as well.