Roast Macadamia & Shiso Pasta

Ideal when you feel like something a little fancy, roast macadamia & shiso pasta is a foodies delight! Simple pantry staples let the feature ingredients shine, while lemon highlights the flavours.

Shiso (aka perilla) is something of an unusual ingredient. A staple in many Asian cuisines, perilla leaves have a unique flavour which is hard to put into words. They’re a bit minty, a bit nutty, a bit aniseed, and a bit unlike anything else. Here, we’re using them as a feature ingredient, where the nutty top notes complement the macadamia nuts perfectly. And if you’re a gardener (like us!), shiso is easy to grow in a warm climate- here’s our guide.

Here’s How to Make It

First, gather your ingredients. Note that while the recipe calls for spinach leaves, I’ve used a mixture of leafy greens according to what was in my garden on the day. Red amaranth, malabar spinach and silver beet were added in with the spinach. Zest & juice the lemons, chop the greens and grate the cheese.

Grind the nuts in a blender or spice grinder, then warm the oil in a large frying pan. Add the nuts, crumbs & salt to the pan and stir. As you can see, I chose to leave a few nuts un-ground.

Cook the pasta as directed. While that is cooking, add the garlic, lemon juice & most of the zest to the pan and cook a further 3 minutes. Then add the greens to the pan and cook until wilted, mixing gently.

Once the pasta is cooked, drain it, and reserve about 2 cups of the cooking liquid. Add this liquid slowly to the frying pan, until you achieve the consistency you like.

Add the cheese and spaghetti one by one, and mix through. Serve, garnished with the remaining lemon zest.