1 pound whole grain spaghetti (whole wheat, brown rice, quinoa)
1 cup carrot, peeled and cut julienne
1 cup zucchini, cut julienne
2 cups broccoli florets
1 cup yellow squash, cut julienne
Blanch vegetables in one quart of boiling salted water (1 teaspoon salt) or steam al dente 1 minute or less, depending on the size of the cut; refresh in iced water and drain.
Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until just tender. (Check package directions for timing.) Drain well. Mix pasta and vegetables julienne, put in a mold and reheat in microwave or steamer. Serve with sauce. Garnish with broccoli florets. Serves 8.
Tester's note: The Ornish diet requires whole grain pastas. Chef Fullsack recommends quinoa or brown rice pastas as a taste preference to whole wheat pastas. This dish freezes well for individual servings at home or in restaurants. Fullsack freezes the pasta combo in an 8-ounce ceramic cup and freezes the sauce in 2-ounce servings (ice cube trays work well, he says).
To serve with the flourish of a chef, ladle the 2 ounces of heated sauce on plate. Invert cup of pasta on top of sauce. Add the basil leaf for garnish. Fullsack also added a border of balsamic vinegar with blanched garlic slices rolled in parsley.
Tomato and Roasted Bell Pepper Sauce
1 large tomato, peeled, seeded and diced 1/4 inch
2 bell peppers, roasted, peeled and seeded
1 onion, oven-roasted for 30 to 40 minutes at 400 degrees
2 cloves garlic, oven roasted for 7 minutes
1 pinch thyme, dried
16 leaves basil, sliced
1 drop Tabasco sauce
1/2 cup vegetable stock
1 pinch salt
Combine tomatoes, peppers, onions, garlic, thyme and vegetable stock in saucepan and simmer for 15 minutes. Puree in blender and season with salt and Tabasco. Serve with fresh basil leaf.
Chef Jean Marc Fullsack
Thursday, April 05, 2001
