Description
This Pasta with Herbed Walnut Sauce hails from the hills of Liguria, a coastal region from northwestern Italy.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 cup walnuts
- 1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
- Handful fresh parsley leaves, chopped
- 2 tsp dried Italian seasoning
- 3 Tbsp olive oil (or walnut oil)
- 3 Tbsp heavy cream
- 5 Tbsp unsalted butter at room temperature, divided
- 1/4 cup dry breadcrumbs
- Salt, to taste
- 1 pound pasta (any long noodle, i.e. mafaldine, spaghetti, farfalle, linguine)
- Crumbled goat, gorgonzola or grated Parmigiano, for serving
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, bring water to a boil, then add the walnuts. Cook for 2 minutes, drain, and let cool.
- Rub off skins and place on paper towel lined plate to dry.
- Place in a small plastic baggie and break them up with a rolling pin. Transfer to a small bowl. Set aside.
- Using a food processor or blender, add the walnuts, garlic, parsley and 1 tsp Italian seasoning.
- pulse until you have a smooth paste.
- Transfer to a medium bowl, ad the olive or walnut oil, and whisk until thoroughly combined
- Add the cream, 3 Tbsp of butter, breadcrumbs, and a couple pinches of salt. Whisk well to combine. Set aside.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. (*1 Tbsp of salt for every 4 cups of water.)
- Cook pasta according to package directions to al dente. (*Pasta soft but still very firm.)
- Reserve about 1/4 cup of pasta water and drain.
- Return the empty pot to the stove.
- Turn the heat to high and add the remaining 2 Tbsp butter and reserved pasta water.
- Add the pasta and walnut sauce, and cook, mixing continuously, for about 1 minute.
- Serve hot with crumbled goat cheese or Parmigiano and chopped parsley.