Pasta Nests

Ingredients

• 200 g penne pasta (cook time: about 8 minutes)
• Salt
• 4 juniper berries
• 200 g carrots (2 carrots)
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 125 g leeks (1 small stalk)
• 250 g cooked beetroot (vacuum packed)
• Pepper

Instructions

1. 1.

   Cook the penne according to package instructions in plenty of boiling salted water until al dente.

2. 2.

   Crush the juniper berries coarsely in a mortar. Peel the carrots and slice them thinly with a vegetable peeler.

3. 3.

   Heat olive oil in a pot. Add the carrot slices and crushed juniper berries, lightly salt, and steam covered over low heat for about 2 minutes.

4. 4.

   Meanwhile, clean the leeks, halve lengthwise, wash, and cut into roughly 1 cm wide strips. Add them to the carrots, pour in about 5 tbsp water, and steam for another 5 minutes.

5. 5.

   Pat the beetroot dry, slice thinly with a vegetable peeler, add it to the pot with the vegetables, and heat through. Season with salt and pepper.

6. 6.

   Drain the penne in a colander and arrange them nest-shaped on plates. Fill the pasta nests decoratively with the vegetable mixture.