Linquine with Pesto

From Ars Cookbook

submitted by dciskey

Contents 1 Ingredients 2 Pesto 2.1 Ingredients 2.2 Directions 3 Now that we've talked about the pesto 4 Variations

Ingredients

• 1 pound fresh or dried linguine
• 1 boiling/baking potato, peeled and cubed (about 3/4" cubes)
• 1 cup pesto (see below)
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, for serving
• Freshly ground black pepper, for serving

Pesto

Here is a recipe for pesto; I have not used it. You can buy pesto at the grocery store to save yourself some time, especially if you don't have a food processor. However, I would avoid the stuff in the jar; get fresh pesto, which will be refrigerated, usually next to the refrigerated pasta. It's delicious and saves you some work.

Ingredients

• 2 cloves garlic
• 3/4 cup pine nuts
• Salt
• Leaves from 1 bunch basil, about 1/4 pound, well washed and dried
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup grated hard pecorino cheese

Directions

1. Put the garlic, pine nuts, a pinch of salt, the basil, and the oil into the food processor and process it until the ingredients form a smooth paste.
2. Add the Parmesan and the pecorino and pulse to combine.
3. Taste and adjust the salt if necessary.

Now that we've talked about the pesto

1. Boil up a big bunch of water for the linquine
2. When you've got a nice boil going, add the pasta and the potatoes to the water. I'm told the starch from the potatoes will help the pasta from clumping, and they're yummy besides that.
3. When the pasta is cooked to your satisfaction, drain the pasta and potatoes but keep some of the water handy.
4. Move the pasta and potatoes to a large bowl and dress them with the butter and the pesto. I add the butter first, because I want it distributed, but the pesto needn't be so even, just make sure everybody gets some when you serve.
5. If the pasta seems dry, add a bit of the cooking water you saved.
6. Top with the Parmesan cheese and pepper when you serve it.

Variations

• I like to use red potatoes in this recipe; they lend a nice color if you leave the skins on, just give them a good rinse and scrub before cubing them.
• You can use any pasta you'd like, of course. I think next time I might try it with some kind of macaroni noodles.