This month's recipe:
Avocado, Basil, and Lemon Pesto Pasta
Serves: Four

Avocado Pesto is an unusual take on a well-known pasta sauce. A blend of old and new world ingredients comes together to make and easy no-cook pasta accompaniment.

Ingredients:

• 2 ripe Haas avocados, seeded and diced, set aside 1/3 cup for garnish
• Juice of 2 lemons
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled
• 8 fresh basil leaves, torn
• ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
• ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes (or to taste!)
• Pinch of ground coriander
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 pound dried pasta: gemelli or farfalle
• 1 cup halved yellow pear tomatoes for garnish
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced for garnish

Instructions:

Pulse all the sauce ingredients in a food processor until combined and set aside.

Put a large pot of water over high heat and bring to a boil. Add salt to the boiling pasta water and cook pasta according to package directions, until tender but still al dente. Drain pasta and toss with the sauce in a large bowl.

Taste pasta and adjust seasoning as needed. If sauce is too thick, a tablespoon of pasta water or olive oil may be stirred into the sauce to loosen it up a bit.

Serve pasta in large individual bowls, garnished with remaining diced avocado, tomatoes, and green onions. Serve immediately.

Previous Recipes:

• Spaghetti alle Cozze (Spaghetti with Fresh Mussels)
• Braised Guinea Hen
• Panna Cotta
• Insalata d'Inverno (Winter Salad)