There’s nothing like the crunch and flavor of roasted pistachios; it’s one of my favorite additions to a lot of pasta dishes. In pesto, I like to replace the pine nuts with them and garnish with extra chopped pieces for texture. This recipe makes enough for several servings so you can jar up the leftovers and store in the fridge for up to 5 days. Check out this recipe for one of my favorite meals and let me know what you think in the comments below! I like to pair this with a crisp white wine.
Ingredients:
- 140 g pasta per person
- 130 g young basil leaves
- 8 g kosher salt
- 60 g Parmigiano-Reggiano or Pecorino Romano
- 350 g Olive Oil
- 20 g Pistachios + more rough chopped for garnish
- 3 Garlic Cloves
- Pinch of fresh ground black pepper and red pepper flakes for garnish
Process:
- In a pot, cook pasta in well salted, boiling water. Reserve a cup of the pasta water for later.
- To make the pesto using a mortar and pestle, the order in which you grind your ingredients is very important.
1. Garlic and salt
2. Pistachios
3. Basil
4. Parmigiano or Pecorino
5. Olive Oil
Note: If you are using a food processor you can still follow these steps but make sure you don’t over process the basil. - Transfer sauce to a bowl with a small amount of pasta water. Add the cooked pasta and mix until it is coated in the sauce. Incorporating the pasta water will help the emulsification process.
- Garnish with rough chopped pistachios, fresh ground black pepper and red pepper flakes.
Source:
- Featured photo (Pixist)
