Recipe: Lemony Walnut Pasta
It's the un-pesto pasta, with lemon juice and toasted walnuts.
I have been cooking around the clock for the last couple of months and decided to start simplifying some of my recipes to ease up my intensely laborious schedule. This recipe was something I dreamed up which I could prep in a jiffy and assemble later. It turned out to be one of my favorite freshest pasta recipes ever conceived. There are so many contrasting flavors and textures that gives it a big wow factor. I made piles of it recently for a wedding and there was nary a single strand of fettucine left on the serving platter. Try this with tagliatelle or fettucine. You’ll want something with enough heft to stand up to the weighty walnut pesto. I call it pesto because it mimics a traditional basil pesto without the basil and by switching out pine nuts for walnuts. Additionally, I don’t combine everything in the food processor so the “sauce” is nuttier and crunchier. Make this as the perfect side or on its own with an arugula salad. It is the perfect summer pasta.
Lemony Walnut Pasta
Serves 4
1 lb. fettucine
6 garlic cloves, peeled
1-1/2 cups walnut halves, toasted at 400 degrees for 7 or 8 minutes until they give off a toasty aroma.
Zest of 1 lemon
Juice of ½ lemon
1 cup good quality olive oil
¾ cup Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper to taste.
In a food processor fitted with a steel blade, process garlic until finely minced (or mince on your own with a sharp chef’s knife). If the former, remove garlic from the bowl of the processor and set aside. Place walnuts in the food processor and pulse until roughly chopped. Set aside. Boil pasta according to directions. Drain. Place warm pasta in a bowl and coat with the olive oil. Follow up with the garlic and walnuts and toss. Pour in the lemon juice and add the lemon zest. Toss. Add salt and pepper to taste. Toss with parmesan and serve. For a little color you can finely chop some Italian parsley and sprinkle on top.
