Tallarines Verdes (South America)
On today’s article for World of Pasta, we head south of the equator to the wonderful and mystical continent of South America. I could likely write an entire book on the wonderful things that the South American continent does great, from the dense rain forests of the Amazon to the bustling streets of Brazil to the ancient ruins of Peru.
I’m sure you wouldn’t think of a classic pasta dish so far across the Atlantic, but then you likely haven’t heard of Tallarines Verdes, a green pasta dish that contains a sauce made with spinach, basil, and a ton of queso fresco, think of it as a really creamy pesto sauce. It’s a very easy dish to make and utilizes fairly inexpensive ingredients in a delicious way.
Serves 4 to 6
Salt
Olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 cups packed baby spinach leaves (about 4 1/2oz)
1 cup packed basil leaves (about 1 ounce)
1/2 cup crumbled queso fresco, plus more for topping.
1/2 cup milk, plus more if needed
1 pound of any long pasta like spaghetti or linguine
2 tbsp unsalted butter
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
In a wide nonstick skillet, heat up a bit of oil then add the chopped onion and cook for about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions soften. Add the garlic, and cook a minute longer.
In a blender, dump in the spinach, basil, queso fresco and milk. Transfer the onions and garlic to the blender as well, then blend until smooth, adding more milk if needed.
Boil the pasta according to the directions for al dente. Reserve 1/4 cup of pasta water, then drain.
While the pasta cooks, pour the sauce into the pan and add the butter. Heat over medium-low, stirring occasionally, until the butter is melted and the sauce heats up.
Toss the cooked pasta with the sauce, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Then serve, topping with more queso fresco.
