Recently I welcomed Tara Punzone to my home kitchen to show me how to prepare her scrumptious Pesto Cavatelli. Punzone is the celebrated vegan chef behind Pura Vita, the 100 percent plant-based Italian restaurant and wine bar in West Hollywood. Her new cookbook, “Vegana Italiana” (Rodale), is a lively celebration of old-world Italian flavors transformed to be entirely plant-based.

Happily, even without the classic use of Parmigiano Reggiano, her Pesto Cavatelli was delicious. Every bite was enthusiastically consumed before she packed up her gear and headed home. In addition to fresh basil, olive oil, almonds, and garlic, her pesto was spiked with nutritional yeast and lemon juice. A crunchy crumble garnish was made using nutritional yeast, raw macadamia nuts and salt.

She advised readers

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