Spiralized Zucchini with Raw Puttanesca Sauce

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Many people consider pasta to be the ultimate comfort food. Spiralized vegetables make not only the tastiest, but also the  healthiest version of this versatile food. Served with a deliciously spicy sauce on a cold winter day it can definitely make it up for a bowl of cooked noodles. The idea is to warm up the sauce to about 115°F or 46°C. Your high speed blender will warm up the sauce during the blending process. If you are working with a food processor, transfer the sauce into a saucepan and warm it up gently. Monitor the temperature with a kitchen thermometer.


Ingredients:

for the sauce
  • 1 1/2 cup ripe tomatoes, chopped
  • 1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes, soaked in purified water until they are nice and soft
  • 1 very soft medjol date (optional)
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 medium large onion, chopped
  • 1 Tbsp capers, drained
  • 2 Tbsp freshly pressed lemon juice
  • 1 tsp Balsamic vinegar
  • 1 Tbsp fresh basil leaves, packed
  • 2 tsp crashed red pepper (add more if you prefer)
  • 1/3 tsp Celtic sea salt
  • 1/3 cup virgin olive oil
  • 1/3 cup green olives, pitted and roughly chopped or halved
  • 1/3 cup black olives, pitted and roughly chopped or halved
for the pasta
  • two medium large zucchini
  • 1 Tbsp lemon juice 
  • 1 tsp virgin olive oil
  • pinch Celtic sea salt

for the garnish

  • black and green olives 
  • hot chili pepper flakes


Method:
  • Using a spiralizer (or a Julienne vegetable peeler) make zucchini noodles. In a bowl, mix lemon juice, virgin olive oil and Celtic sea salt. Toss in the noodles and gently mix with the marinade. Set aside.
  • In a blender or a food processor blend all the sauce ingredients, except the olive oil and chopped olives. Blend until almost smooth. Transfer the sauce into a saucepan and warm it up to a temperature not higher than 115°F (46°C), add the olive oil and chopped olives, and mix well. Adjust the taste to your personal liking. 
  • Portion out the pasta into individual dishes. Add a generous portion of the Puttanesca sauce, garnish with green and black olives, and enjoy in good company!


The original Puttanesca sauce recipe calls for anchovies and is, like many other pasta sauces, cooked. I made a raw, vegan sauce that is also gluten-free, and can be served either warm or cold. For a cold, summer version of the Raw Puttanesca Sauce please click here.

In radiant health, passionately raw - Dominique

Dominique Allmon©2016