One of my favorite lines from Judd Apatow’s Knocked Up is when Ben Stone was explaining his cell phone payment complications and says, “I’m not poor or anything…but I eat a lot of spaghetti”. Not only was it hilarious for Ben to use spaghetti to describe his economic situation, but it is also a very real statement about spaghetti’s place in many of our kitchens. Maybe if Ben and college students everywhere knew how to class up their spaghetti, they could impress the girls and still not break their budget.

Taking Spaghetti from cheap and easy grub to a respectable main course shouldn’t be that hard. The hard part is breaking away from the convenience of the jarred red sauce. Of course it is tasty enough for the first few nights of the week, but it gets old. That is why I am posting the recipe for a pesto sauce which can take Ben’s Spaghetti to a whole new level. Pesto is an Italian sauce which is made with herbs, garlic, olive oil, and parmesan cheese. Except for the substitution of cashews for pine nuts, this is a pretty standard basil pesto recipe.
Ingredients:

2 Cups of Fresh Basil Leaves.
1/2 Cup of Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
1/3 Cup of Cashews
1/2 Cup Parmesan Cheese
3-4 Garlic Cloves depending on taste
Salt and Pepper

Preparation: Let the Basil soak in cold water for a few minutes so any sand or grit separates from the leaves. To measure the Basil leaves, loosely bunch the rinsed basil in your measuring device. Peel the garlic. Crumble or rough chop the parmesan.
1. Using a food processor, pulse the cashews to break them up into small pieces. Try not to grind them into dust.
2. Add the Basil, Parmesan, and Garlic and pulse some more until all ingredients are thoroughly broken apart.
3. Now let the food processor run and slowly begin drizzling in the Olive Oil. Add more than the 1/2 cup if you want a thinner consistency.
4. Salt and Pepper to taste. Remember that most cashews already come salted so add carefully. Fresh Ground Pepper is always a better choice over pre-ground.

This sauce goes well with Ben’s spaghetti or any pasta. It works well on pizza as a substitute for red sauce. It also makes a great marinade for shrimp or chicken. Just marinate the meat overnight and grill. Pesto is pretty potent so don’t over do it. And it coats food very well so you get a lot of mileage out of a small amount. So now Ben Stone can say “I’m not poor or anything…but I eat a lot of Cashew Basil Pesto Spaghetti”. What a pompous jerk!

Tags: Cooking · Food ·