⚽ World Cup 2018 Game 25 – Nigeria vs. Iceland
The Plantain Pesto Penne inherits Nigerian and Icelandic ingredients to forge its own path to pasta glory. The plantain serves as a base for a creamy pesto while hearty vegetables and shrimp adds texture and dimensionality to the whole dish. While it might take some practice to clearly articulate its tongue-twisting name, you will fall in love with the taste on the first try.

Servings |
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Ingredients
Plantain Pesto
- 1 yellow plantain
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1/2 lemon juiced
- 1/2 cup fresh packed basil
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
Pasta
- 2 cups dried penne
- 3 TBSP olive oil
- 12 21-25 size raw shrimp
- 1/2 lemon juiced
- 1/2 tsp cajun seasoning
- 1/2 stalk leeks chopped
- 1 cup cabbage thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup milk
- 2 tomatoes cut into 1 inch pieces
- fresh basil for garnish
Ingredients
Plantain Pesto
Pasta
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Instructions
- To make the plantain pesto: Add peeled plantain pieces to a food processor. Grind until smooth. Add garlic + lemon juice + basil + black pepper + salt + crushed red pepper and blend.
- In a pot of salted water, cook the penne for 10 minutes or until al dente. Drain and set aside.
- Heat a skillet to medium-high heat and pour olive oil on the bottom of the pan. Place the shrimp in one layer on the pan and sprinkle the lemon juice and 1/2 the cajun seasoning over the shrimp. Cook for 2 minutes and flip the shrimp, sprinkling the rest of the cajun seasoning. Remove the shrimp onto a plate and set aside.
- In the same skillet, add the leeks and cabbage and cook for 5 minutes and scrape the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the plantain pesto and milk and cook for 2 minutes until you have a creamy sauce.
- Add the cooked penne and mix well so that each penne is coated with the sauce. Cook for 2-3 minutes, mixing constantly. Add the tomatoes and remove from heat.
- Plate a 2 cups of penne mixture onto a plate and top with shrimp. Garnish with chiffonade basil.
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