This year on V-Day Jeremy and I joined forces with Kate (my co-worker and good friend) and her roommate Kevin at their place to concoct a delicious dinner. I stumbled upon the most adorable heart shaped pasta and insisted on finding a recipe to put the pasta to good use. As fate would have it, the Tasting Table email of the day on V-Day was the most perfect pesto recipe a girl could ask for. Check it out, it was easy and delicious - and I ate leftovers for lunch and dinner for two days straight! Yum.
Nutty Love, Pistachio Pesto via TastingTable
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INGREDIENTS
1 cup shelled pistachios
1 tablespoon kosher salt plus extra for pasta water
1½ pounds medium shaped pasta (we combined shells/hearts, but can use whatever you prefer)
1 large head broccoli, stems trimmed
2 garlic cloves
Juice and zest of 1 Meyer lemon (or zest of 1 regular lemon with 3 tablespoons lemon juice and 1 tablespoon orange juice)
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves
½ cup mint leaves
1½ cups extra-virgin olive oil
½ cup finely grated Pepato or Pecorino Romano cheese
2 tablespoons finely chopped chives
Sea salt
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DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat the oven to 350°. On a rimmed baking sheet, toast the pistachios until fragrant and lightly toasted, 5 to 6 minutes. Transfer to a large plate and cool, then coarsely grind in a food processor. Transfer the ground pistachios to a bowl and set aside
2. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add some kosher salt and the pasta and cook until almost al dente, about 8 minutes. When the pasta is almost finished, add the broccoli to the pot and cook for 2 minutes more or until the pasta is al dente and the broccoli is tender. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta water and drain the pasta and broccoli through a large colander.
3. In the same food processor, combine the garlic, lemon zest, red pepper flakes and kosher salt and grind into a fine paste. Add the parsley and mint and pulse to make a rough paste. With the motor running, slowly drizzle in the olive oil. Transfer to a medium saucepan and stir in the ground pistachios.
4. Add the pasta water to the pesto; bring to a boil and simmer for 2 minutes.
5. In a large bowl, combine the pasta, broccoli and pesto. Stir in the lemon juice and set aside for 5 minutes. To serve, divide the pasta among plates or bowls and garnish with the grated cheese, chives, sea salt.
