Pasta with Arugula and Walnuts Pesto

Pasta with arugula and walnuts pesto.Since I started Savoir Faire, I am amazed about the many things I want to cook. I wish I can have 48-hour days so I can cook and write about all the things coming to my mind every single day. Take a  look at this arugula (rocket) pesto, for example. Last October, we planted the seeds for my beloved arugulas and two weeks ago I started having my daily salad. But then, David Lebovitz wrote about his dandelion pesto and suddenly I got the urge to make my own pesto with arugula, instead of basil, and walnuts, instead of pine nuts.I have a romance with tart, spice and bitter flavors. Let’s say I love the character in those flavors. This is why arugula and watercress are my favorite greens. But I never thought about muddling arugula to make a pesto until I read David’s post.Since my arugula is growing like crazy, I made this pesto for two days in a row. The first time, I made it just to try it. The second one, I corrected some proportions in the ingredientes and then I introduced my new recipe to my family.What a success! Now I have Andrés Ignacio and Tomás Eugenio eating arugula! Isn’t it cool?As you may know, arugula is a little bit astringent. That is balanced by the nutty flavor of toasted walnuts. The garlic is sautéed to provide a mild flavor: I adore garlic, but didn’t want this to be a garlicky pesto.This pesto can be eaten over toast, fresh bread, or with pasta, like I did. The pasta can be served hot, warm or cold. More good news: the whole process of making the pesto and cooking the pasta took me just 12 minutes!I hope you like pasta with arugula and walnuts pesto recipe.

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Pasta with Arugula and Walnuts Pesto

Prep Time3 minutes mins

Cook Time12 minutes mins

Total Time15 minutes mins

Servings: 6

Ingredients

• 1 package of pasta noodles
• 4 cups of arugula leaves
• 8 garlic cloves pressed with the blade of a knife and pealed
• ¾ cup of walnuts halved
• ½ cup of extra virgin olive oil
• Coarse sea salt
• ¼ cup of Parmesan cheese grated I used Grana Padano
• Put the water for the pasta to boil.

Instructions

• Add some drops of the olive oil to a pan on low to medium heat and sauté the garlic until brownish, 2-3 minutes. Set aside.
• In the same pan, toast the walnuts until fragrant, 2-3 minutes.
• In the meantime, cook the pasta and once it’s al dente, strain it, and let some fresh water run on top to stop cooking. Strain again.
• In a food processor, process the arugula, nuts, garlic and salt to taste. While processing, add the olive oil and process until everything is well combined.
• Pour the pesto in a bowl, add the cheese and mix well.
• You may need to add some more olive oil.
• In a pasta bowl, combine the pesto with the warm pasta.

Course: Pastas

Cuisine: Italian

Author: Enri

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