For the final instalment of the Spring Salad Series, I thought I should share with you one of the newest members to the salad group. I think we can safely say that the juicy tomato and cool cucumber have held this section up pretty well; they have taken us through some tough times and have survived many a drought, reinventing themselves to suit our new tastes (from the greek salad to the mexican salsa).
But alas, the spotlight is growing dim on the celebrated duo, make room for the crunchy courgette! Courgette’s are hugely versatile especially when sliced with a Julienne peeler to make ‘spaghetti’. It really does resemble spaghetti firstly in its texture (when drizzled with lemon juice which I think helps loosen it up so it can twirl around your fork) and its ability to absorb all the flavours you throw at it.
Here I have made an avocado mayo and tossed in some candied walnuts. You can experiment with all kinds of flavours: try making a tomato salsa to resemble spaghetti Bolognese or something…you won’t be disappointed!
Courgette Spaghetti and Avocado Cream
Prep time: 20 mins
Ingredients:
For the Spaghetti:
2 courgettes
lemon/ lime juice
For the Avocado Mayo:
1 cup Cashew Cream
1/2 Avocado
A few slices of kale/ spinach (to make it greener)
water
For the Candied Walnuts:
1/2 cup of walnuts (whole)
1/2 caster Sugar
Slice the courgettes into a bowl and drizzle over the lemon juice. Toss the courgettes around and refrigerate overnight or for 30 minutes. In the meantime, take the cashew cream and our it in a blender with the avocado and 1/2 of water. Blend until smooth and season to taste if necessary. Set aside.
In a frying pan place the walnuts and sugar and turn up the heat (medium/high), keep stirring the mixture until the sugar has dissolved and you have a caramel sauce. Carefully take the pan off the heat and pour the mixture onto some grease proof paper spreading the mixture out. Allow it to cool (about 5 mins) until its hard to touch. Then peel the ‘sugar sheet’ off the paper and crush the nuts with a knife into a crumbly texture.
Mix all courgette and avocado together when you are ready to serve it and sprinkle the walnuts on top.
