Pasta al Pesto di Pistacchi -- Pasta with Pistachio Pesto

It's not easy preparing something new for dinner on a Tuesday work evening but I had been looking forward to this meal all day. Reading the Italian recipe was not an issue but I arrived home really hungry and afterwards the kitchen cleanup was tiring. Luckily, I made a serving for two, so I will have a quick dinner tomorrow night.

I prepared Pasta al pesto di pistacchi, page 107 of È Pronta by Benedetta Parodi. Just a few simple ingredients are transformed into a meal fit which would be perfect for guests also. I will be making this again!

As with most pasta sauces made today in Italy, the sauce can be prepared during the time it takes to boil water and cook the pasta. The penne I used tonight required 10 minutes cooking time. 

Buy Italian made pasta, with only two ingredients: durum wheat and water.  The  pasta should not have a shiny appearance, which indicates it was formed by Teflon dies. I used to come home from Italian trips with a suitcase full of pasta. Now, it's becoming easier to find a good product here. Read the label before you purchase. 

After making this dish, I found a video of Benetteta making it for her TV show. I used California dry roasted pistachios. Her Sicilian pistachios had a much brighter green color than mine. In addition to the milk, she also adds a ladle of pasta water to the sauce. 

Just checked on-line for Sicilian pistachios. Super expensive...I will need to add them to my Italian trip shopping list. 

I like pancetta cooked almost but not quite crisp.  I also drain most of the fat off before adding the onion. 

I always use red onions. Marina and I have discussed this too. The onions she uses in Cremona have a mild sweet flavor. The standard yellow American onion is too strong, in my opinion.  

Pasta al Pesto di Pistacchi (Pasta with Pistachio Pesto)

Serves 4

350 g penne pasta

100 g shelled pistachio

75 g smoked pancetta or bacon

1 onion

1/2 glass whole milk

50 g Grana or Parmigiana cheese

Olive oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Begin water to boil for the pasta.  Add the pasta when the water begins to boil.  Salt the water.

Meanwhile, chop the pistachios.  Sauté the diced pancetta and drain.  In the same pan add a little olive oil and sauté the onions.  When the onions are translucent, add back the pancetta.  Stir in pistacchios.  Add a little milk to and stir to make a sauce. Watch the video below to see how Benedetta makes this.  She stirs the sauce constantly, while waiting for the pasta to cook.  Add a spoonful of pasta water, if the sauce is too thick.

When the pasta is done, drain (retaining a little pasta water) and add the pasta to the pan containing the sauce.  Stir and simmer for 1 minute.  Add pasta water if the sauce seems too thick.

Dish the pasta and top with grated cheese. Serve immediately.  Buon Appetito!

Ingredienti 

per 4 persone: 

350 gr di penne

100 gr di pistacchi 

75 gr di pancetta affumicata a dadini

1 cipolla

olio extravergine

1/2 bicchiere di latte

50 g di grana o parmigiano

sale e pepe 

Procedimento

1. Lessare la pasta in acqua salata.
2. Tritare la cipolla e rosolarla in padella con l'olio e la pancetta affumicata.
3. Sbucciare e pelare i pistacchi, poi tritarli al mixer e metterne una manciata da parte alcuni interi.
4. Aggiungere ai pistacchi tritati il sale, parmigiano e olio e frullare nuovamente.
5. Unire il pesto di pistacchi alla pancetta, aggiungendo anche un po' di latte e di acqua di cottura della pasta e girare sul fuoco finché non raddensa un po'.
6. Scolare la pasta e aggiungerla al pesto a fuoco spento.
7. Impiattare completando con granella di pistacchi, parmigiano e pepe a piacere.

Benedetta fa pasta-al-pesto-di-pistacchi (08-12-2013)