This is a fairly simple recipe to make and a healthy option if you are craving pasta. This recipe is from the latest Food & Wine magazine (January 2010) but I made a few changes to it. They used raw garlic in the pesto… I am not a big fan so I took it out. I also used parmigiano reggiano cheese instead of pecorino. Either would work but I used what I had on hand. I added the walnuts at the end instead of adding it to the pesto. The pesto turns into a much better consistency. I also used more broccoli rabe for the pesto. I like a hearty sauce and less pasta….its healthier too (less carbs). My boyfriend loved it. A must try!
Ingredients:
1/3 cup Walnuts, toasted and chopped
3/4 broccoli rabe, trimmed
1/3 cup olive oil plus more for garnish
Pinch red pepper flakes
1/3 cup parmigiano reggiano cheese, grated plus more for serving
Kosher Salt
Ground Pepper
3/4 Whole Wheat Linguine
1. In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook the broccoli rabe until tender about 3-4 minutes. Drain and let cool.
2. In a medium food processor, add broccoli rabe, olive oil and red pepper flakes. Process until broccoli rabe is very finely chopped. Add parmigiano cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer into a medium bowl.
3. In a large pot of salted water, cook whole wheat linguine until al dente. Reserve 3/4 cup of cooking water. Drain pasta. Add linguine to pesto sauce. Stir in cooking water gradually until you get the consistency you like. (I did not use all of it). Sprinkle pasta with walnuts and a little more cheese. Serve immediately.
Welcome to Foodie Blog Roll. I never thought of broccoli rabe as a pesto, but I am going to give it a try. Sounds delicious.