Raw Spaghetti and Tomato Sauce

My name is Emiglia, and I’m addicted to vegetables. I realize that that’s kind of an obnoxious thing to say. Like people who love running or people who don’t like chocolate. (While I don’t like running, I’m not a huge fan of chocolate, but let’s deal with one obnoxious trait at a time.)

I’m not saying I have a perfect diet. I eat way more cheese than any human should ever eat. The Country Boy’s cousin told me this past weekend that he’s never seen a girl drink more beer than I do. I have my faults. But let’s put a pin in my faults for a second, because this post, while not preachy, is a bit virtuous.

I really, really love vegetables.

It all started at my boarding school salad bar, where things were in whole form and therefore slightly more appealing to me than overcooked pasta and chicken in sweet “Asian” sauce. And our cafeteria food was actually pretty good. Nonetheless, I still spent most of my mealtimes bulking up the aforementioned overcooked pasta with salad bar goodies… I believe my love affair begins there.

Today, I have to remember when cooking for the Country Boy that not everyone is a fan of eating “just vegetables” for dinner. I admittedly will often add a touch of cheese (I do love my cheese), but it’s often several weeks before TCB pulls a frozen hamburger patty out of the freezer to make for himself, and then I realize that we haven’t eaten meat in a very, very long time.

He’s a good sport.

That being said, I have to admit — as much as I hate to brag — that I can do some pretty awesome things with vegetables. I can’t take all the credit; I just think that vegetables are particularly delicious. And I’d rather eat grocery store zucchini than grocery store chicken any day.

This recipe in particular highlights my love, not only of vegetables, but of tomatoes and using obnoxious amounts of herbs in things.

I also eat salads where the lettuce is just herbs, but once again, I’m trying to keep the weird food habits to a minimum in this post. That’s another story for another day.

Raw Spaghetti and Tomato Sauce (serves 2)

3 zucchini
1 hefty pinch salt
1 pound cherry tomatoes (I like to use a combo of red and yellow), halved
1 large or 2 small cloves of garlic, minced
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 small bunch (20-25 leaves) fresh basil
4 Tbsp. pesto sauce

Remove the tops and bottoms of the zucchini. Using the large holes of a grater, grate them lengthwise into a colander set over a plate. Rotate them so that you avoid using the seeds. Add the salt and toss. Set aside to drain slightly.

Halve the cherry tomatoes and add them to a large glass bowl. Add the minced garlic and olive oil and a touch more salt. Allow to marinate for about 10-15 minutes.

Rinse the basil leaves and set them one on top of the other. Cut them into a chiffonade.

Spread the pesto over the serving plates. Squeeze the zucchini slightly and pile it on top of the pesto. Top with the fresh tomato sauce.