Purple Pesto

I was first served this pesto as a pasta dish and was totally blown away. It looked so stunning and tasted delicious I had to beg for the recipe. I was given a rough indication of the ingredients and quantities but when I tried it at home it just didn't look the same. The taste was still great but I wasn't getting that deep purple colour. In fact my first attempt came out pink! Being obsessed with lemon, I added it to the mix and a pink burst of colour appeared. The pink pasta was delicious still, my friend and I gobbled it right up!

I have finally managed to get the recipe right so that I have pure purple pesto. This was served with spelt pasta and it went down pretty well. As I used spelt pasta the colours in the photo don't look too amazing. You should really coat the penne pasta and by using a light pasta colour, the colour is complemented best and will really wow whoever you are serving.

This pesto is also great to spread on crackers with avocado or hummus. I hope you attempt it as its super easy, different and fun to make! Here comes the recipe. 

Ingredients (serves 4): 

3 cups of penne paste (there are many wheat/gluten free options available. I used Biona Spelt Pasta)

400 grams of red cabbage

80 grams of almonds (I like to use blanched)

200 ml of extra virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

To start boil the cabbage for a few minutes so that it is soft. Then simply blend all the ingredients in a food processor, adding salt and pepper to taste.

After cooking and draining your pasta, add the pesto to the hot pan and mix in with the penne. Serve hot. You can make the pesto beforehand and leave it in the fridge until you want to heat it with pasta or spread it on a cracker. I hope you enjoy!