Description
This simple pesto from Sicily substitutes pistachios for the classic basil and comes together in a flash. Dinner will be on the table in little more than what it takes to boil the pasta!
Ingredients
Scale
For the pesto:
- 1 cup unsalted pistachios, shelled
- About 10 leaves of fresh basil
- 1 clove garlic
- ¼ cup grated Pecorino cheese
- Finely grated zest of ½ lemon, preferably organic
- ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- Kosher salt
For the pasta:
- 1 pound shrimp, shelled and deveined
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, diced
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 pound of linguine
To garnish: Chopped pistachios
Instructions
- Make the pesto: Place the pistachios, basil, garlic, Pecorino, and lemon zest in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until coarsely chopped.
- With the processor running, add in the olive oil in a thin steady stream until smooth. Taste and add salt if needed. (The Pecorino will be salty so you may not need to add much.) Set aside.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil over medium heat. Once the water boils, salt generously. Add in the pasta. Stir and cook according to the package directions.
- Meanwhile, heat about 2 tablespoons of olive over medium-low heat in a pan large enough to hold the pasta. Add in the garlic and the shrimp. Sprinkle with a large pinch of kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Stir. Cook the shrimp until pink and cooked through. Be careful not to overcook. Transfer the shrimp and garlic to a bowl. Set aside.
- When the pasta is almost ready, add the pistachio pesto to the skillet. Mix in ½ cup of the pasta water to loosen the pesto. Warm over low heat.
- When the pasta is just shy of ‘al dente’, reserve 1 cup of the pasta water and drain. Add the pasta to the skillet, along with another ½ cup of the reserved pasta water. Toss to combine so that the pesto coats each strand. Cook for another 30 seconds to a minute until the pasta water is absorbed. Add more of the reserved pasta water if the pasta looks to be too dry.
- Add the shrimp and garlic back to the skillet. Stir everything together.
- Transfer the pasta to a serving platter (or serve right from the skillet.) Drizzle the pasta with a little extra-virgin olive oil and sprinkle with chopped pistachios. Serve immediately.