pasta with pistachio pesto

Sick and tired of the same old pasta recipes as always?  Me too.

It’s time to jazz things up.

Chopping-board pistachio pesto.

This pasta gets extra points because you only use one pot.  I am a big fan of less dishes.

Plus this pasta is pretty.  And I love pistachios.  So basically it’s a win win. One pot, beautiful, and has pistachios.

Here is the recipe for pasta with chopping-board pistachio pesto. Recipe from The Splendid Table’s How To Eat Supper.  We didn’t follow their recipe exactly but I will give your their version to follow.  It’s hard to keep track of the alterations we make.  But this is a good base to follow.

5 quarts slated water in a 6-quart pot

The pesto:

1/4 tsp salt

1/8 tsp fresh-ground black pepper

2 large garlic cloves (or as many as you would like!)

1 tight-packed cup coarse-chopped fresh chives or scallion tops

4 tight-packed tbs fresh basil leaves

2 tbs fine-chopped red onion

1/3 cup shelled slated pistachios or almonds (but I highly recommend the pistachios)

2 tbs extra virgin olive oil

Pasta and Finish:

1 pound spaghetti or linguine

1 tbs extra virgin olive oil

2 tbs fine-chopped red onion

1 cup grated Asiago cheese

1.  Bring the water to a boil

2. To make the pesto, pile the salt and pepper on a chopping board.  Crush the garlic into it with the side of a large knife, and fine chop.  Add the chives, basil, and onion, and continue chopping until the pieces are cut very fine.  Add the nuts to the pile and continue chopping until they are coarse chopped.  Directly on the board, blend in the oil.

3. Drop the pasta into the boiling water. Cook until tender but still a little firm to the bite.  Scoop out 1 cup pasta water and set aside.  Drain pasta.

4. Film the empty pasta pot with the 1 tbs olive oil.  Place it over medium heat, and saute the fine-chopped onion in it for 1 minute.  Stir in the pesto.  Warm it for only a few seconds over medium heat to let the flavors blossom-do not cook it.  Stir in about 1/3 cup of the reserved pasta water to stretch the sauce.  Immediately pull the pot off the heat.

5. Add the drained pasta to the pot, and toss with the pesto and the cheese, adding more pasta water if the mixture seems very dry.  Serve warm.

Enjoy!

You should enjoy this pasta dish with a lovely salad on the side like we did.  A healthy and well rounded meal.  Delicious!