no. 4 | let's make: pistachio pesto and meyer lemon pasta

Let’s face it: pine nuts are delicious, but pistachios are that girl.

Let’s face it: pine nuts are delicious, but pistachios are that girl. Now, don’t get me wrong–I love a classic, Italian pesto Genovese as much as the next person, but sometimes you need to shake things up a bit. There’s something about the fog and fall time that influences me towards flavors of the season, and the appeal of experimenting with a pistachio-based pesto hooked me. I bought a bag of peeled “nut meats” (I love that Trader Joe’s named it this) and originally intended to use it for dessert, but comfort food was calling my name. Plus, I just got a new mortar and pestle that needed to be put to use, so alas. It might sound like I’m reinventing the wheel over here, and maybe that’s partially true, but I rarely come across recipes with pistachio-based sauces, so I’m putting this one out there to inspire alternative nut usage. This pesto is also great as a salad dressing, and stores in the fridge for about a week and a half (or you can freeze it).

Here’s how I made it:

Ingredients

Pistachio Pesto

• 1/2 cup pistachios

• one bunch of basil leaves

• 1/3 cup olive oil (I use Brightland’s “Awake” oil)

• 1/3 cup fresh parmesan, grated

• 1 clove garlic, peeled

• 1 tbsp Meyer lemon zest (save the lemon for a squeeze of juice, too!)

• 1 tsp sea salt

Other

• Penne pasta (serving size is up to you)

• Pinch of red pepper flakes

Instructions

1. Fill a pot with water and bring to a boil on the stove-top. Salt the water generously (a chef once told me, “until it’s as salty as the sea”).

2. In the meantime, start on your pesto. Add all of your pesto ingredients to a food processor, small blender, or a mortar and pestle and combine until smooth.

Two things here: the first being, if you’re doing this with a mortar and pestle, you’ll need to do it in batches depending on how large of a surface area your mortar has. I would start small, then increase the volume as the oil breaks everything down.

My second note, is the suggestion of adding a few whole or roughly chopped pistachios into your finished pesto. When added to pasta or salads, it brings a fun, unexpected bite to the dish.

3. Once your water is at a rolling boil, add your pasta and cook until al dente. Save 1/2 cup of the pasta water for good measure.

4. Once cooked, drain your pasta, and add it back into your pot. Turn the heat on low. Add your pesto to the cooked pasta (however much you desire, I’m not the pesto police) and a splash of your starchy water, adding more as the pesto thickens or gets dry.

5. Stir to combine until the pesto has a glossy texture, is coating the pasta, and it’s nice and warm. Add a squeeze of lemon juice here to brighten the dish up. Season with sea salt, black pepper, and a pinch of red pepper flakes.

6. Garnish with extra parmesan cheese, lemon zest or strips of lemon rind, and enjoy immediately.