Pasta With Pesto, Pistachio & Orange
Here's a quick and easy way to mix up your pasta game, creating a fresh taste with the unexpected addition of orange. A combination of pistachios and basil, along with rich garlic, blend with tangy orange for a deliciously healthy meal.
Ingredients
- 1 pound fresh pasta
- 1 cup roasted pistachios shelled & chopped
- 1 cup fresh basil leaves
- 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan
- 5 cloves garlic chopped
- 1 orange zest & juice
- Kosher salt to taste
- Black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Zest half the orange finely.
- Take a sharp knife and cut the peel off the remaining half an orange into spirals (you’ll use these for garnish). Set aside for now.
- Cook the pasta in boiling salted water until al dente.
- While it’s cooking, combine half the pistachios, 3/4 cup of the fresh basil, olive oil, Parmesan, garlic, orange juice and the finely grated orange zest (not the decorative spirals!) into a food processor and pulse until well combined. You can also use a mortar and pestle if you have it.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- When the pasta is done, drain it, reserving about a cup of the liquid.
- Toss the pasta and pistachio/basil mixture together, along with the remaining pistachio pieces, using the pasta liquid to thin it out as necessary.
- Divide between four plates, and garnish with orange peel spirals along with the remaining fresh basil leaves.
Notes
Image by Bernadette Wurzinger (CC0C/Pixabay)
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