Pistachio Pesto Linguine

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Jasmine

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Pistachios have to be my favourite nut; it’s versatile and has such a unique flavour and it’s a staple in many of my favourite sweet treats (gelato, baklava, cookies…), however using it for savoury dishes is a little newer for me. Last year when I was on holiday in Malta, pistachio pesto was everywhere! And I couldn’t get it out of my head, so decided I needed to make my own pistachio pesto pasta…

INGREDIENTS

Pasta:

Linguine (or any other string pasta shape – just ensure it is high-quality, slow-dried and bronze die cut)

Butter

Pesto:

Basil

Extra-virgin olive oil

Pistachio nuts

Italian hard cheese (such as Pecorino, Parmigiana Reggiano or a rennet-free alternative)

Garlic

TIPS & NOTES

For pesto, I recommend adjusting the amount of olive oil you use depending on the natural oils present in the nuts, so it’s best to start with less and add more if needed as you go along.

I recommend lightly toasting the nuts to release their flavour. You don’t have to do this but I think it takes things to the next level. If you don’t want to roast the garlic, I recommend using half the amount raw.

Pistachio Pesto Linguine

  • Servings: 3-4
  • Difficulty: Easy
  • Print

An indulgent pistachio pesto

Food processor (or very large mortar and pestle) required, no advance prep needed


Ingredients

  • 60g of pistachio nuts (shelled)
  • 4 cloves of garlic
  • 50g of pecorino cheese (finely grated) (+ extra for topping)
  • c. 1/3 of a cup of extra-virgin olive oil
  • 10g of basil (roughly chopped)
  • 1 tbsp of butter
  • 200g of linguine pasta
  • Salt and pepper to taste


Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 180C
  2. Cut the ends off the garlic and position the cloves on a small piece of foil – season with salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil before wrapping it into a small package
  3. Add the pistachios to a small oven-proof dish and place the garlic package in it too – once the oven is ready, lightly roast both for 15 minutes (meanwhile, boil a kettle)
  4. To the food processor, add the pitachio nuts (set aside and roughly chop some for garnish)and blend on high until they’re as broken down as possible and let cool off for 10-15 minutes
  5. Add the garlic and olive oil and blend until incorporated
  6. Add the cheese and salt and pepper to taste and blend until incorporated
  7. Add the basil (set aside a little for garnish) and gently pulse until incorporated
  8. Add the boiling water to a lidded saucepan, salt generously and bring to a rolling boil over a medium-high heat
  9. Once the water is ready, add the pasta and cook covered and fully submerged for just shy of the pack instructions (e.g. 8 minutes if the pack advises 10)
  10. Heat the butter in a wide-based pan over a medium heat and use a pair of tongs to transfer the pasta into it (do not drain the pasta water away!)
  11. Reduce the heat to low and turn off the heat for the pasta water pan and add a spoon of the pistachio pesto to the buttery pasta, add a ladle of pasta water and stir with the tongs / agitate the pan to combine
  12. Keep adding pesto and pasta water (adjusting the amount of pasta water to suit your desired consistency) until you have a saucy pesto pasta
  13. Use the ladle and tongs to shape the pasta into nests to serve – top off with some extra pistachio pesto sauce, some extra hard cheese and the reserved basil and pistachios

Let me know if you try my pistachio pesto pasta!

And you can see my method here:

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