Bucatini With Walnut Parsley Pesto Food

BUCATINI WITH WALNUT-PARSLEY PESTO

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Toast walnuts on a rimmed baking sheet, tossing occasionally, until fragrant and slightly darkened, 8-10 minutes. Let cool.
• Pulse 3/4 cup walnuts in a food processor or blender until very finely chopped (but not pasty). Reserve remaining walnuts for serving. Remove stems from chiles; add to food processor. Pulse until finely chopped. Transfer walnut mixture to a medium bowl and stir in garlic, Parmesan, oil, and 1 cup parsley. Season pesto with salt and pepper.
• Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until al dente. Drain, reserving 1 cup pasta cooking liquid. Return pasta to pot and add pesto along with 1/2 cup pasta cooking liquid. Toss, adding splashes of cooking liquid as needed, until pesto coats pasta and sauce is glossy.
• Crush reserved walnuts with the flat side of a knife. Divide pasta among bowls and top with walnuts and more parsley.
• Do Ahead
• Pesto can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and chill.

WALNUT AND PARSLEY PESTO

Steps:

• Place garlic and salt in a mortar; smash and mash with the pestle until it becomes a paste, 5 to 8 minutes. Add walnuts; mash walnuts into a paste until you reach your desired texture (coarse or smoother), another 5 to 8 minutes. Add parsley and mash to break up and blend with the walnut/garlic mixture, about 4 minutes. Add lemon juice and olive oil; stir, mash, and emulsify liquids into the mixture until it becomes very thick and well blended, 8 to 10 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings. If mixture seems too thick, whisk in a tablespoon of water, or as needed.
• Spread on bread, use on pizza or pasta, or on roasted chicken. The taste is just like garlic butter, so use it as such.

TOMATO AND WALNUT PESTO

Steps:

• Heat the grill to high. Place the tomatoes on a large tray and drizzle over some olive oil. Season with a big pinch of sea salt. Grill the tomatoes for 6-8 minutes, until the tomatoes have blistered and released some liquid.
• In a blender or food processor, whizz up the garlic, parsley, lemon zest and red chile flakes to a fine paste. Add the walnuts and half of the tomatoes, and with the motor running, pour in 1/3 cup of olive oil in a steady stream. When combined, stir in the parmesan and season with sea salt and a good turn of black pepper.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil and add the pasta, stirring. Cook according to the packet instructions until al dente. Reserve 1/2cup of the pasta cooking water and drain the pasta.
• Place the pasta in a large bowl and add the pesto along with a splash or two of the reserved pasta cooking water. Keep adding the cooking liquid in small amounts until the sauce coats the pasta effortlessly. Scatter over the remaining grilled tomatoes and the basil leaves.
• To serve, top bowls of pasta with a generous amount of parmesan, a squeeze of lemon juice and a finishing drizzle of olive oil.