This recipe is adapted from the current edition of Food and Wine magazine, to which I’ve subscribed for the last 30 years.
1/3 lb. orrecchiete or other pasta
2½ oz. roasted unsalted pistachio meats
1 clove garlic, peeled, crushed, and minced
1 Tbsp. fresh mint, chopped
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
3 oz. pecorino cheese, grated
- Cook the pasta in boiling water as directed, roughly 12 minutes.
- Chop the pistachios coarsely with a a few pulses of your food processor.
- Add the garlic, mint, and olive oil and pulse a few more times.
- Drain the pasta when cooked.
- In a large bowl mix the pasta, pesto, and grated cheese.
- Serve!
I made this incredibly scrumptious dish last night and just had to pass it on. It takes about 20 minutes to prepare from a standing start. If you’re a pig like me, the orrecchiete, circular and slightly cupped (it means “little ears” in Italian) is a good pick since the little cups hold more of the pesto. Don’t be tempted to make more if it’s just the two of you. It’s extremely rich and filling. As with practically anything else the better your ingredients the better the completed dish. I used really good cheese and the best pistachios I could find.
A green salad, a little good bread, and a nice light, dry white wine and you’ve got a great meal. We drank Two Buck Chuck from Trader Joe’s or, as it’s known in Illinois, Three Buck Chuck. It’s a national treasure.
I’ve added this recipe to my master list of recipes.
Hehe, we’re fan’s of Two Buck Chuck as well.
A pesto with pistachio sounds interesting – I’ll have to give this one a try.
That’s a lot of pesto for just a third of a pound (uncooked) of pasta. Are you sure these proportions are correct?
Since I keep kosher, I don’t know about Two Buck Chuck, but I’d recommend a nice Chianti or maybe a Sauvignon Blanc to accompany this meal.
It’s definitely the right proportions. I think Chianti is a bit robust for this dish. A solid dry white wine is good.
I have never used such a large proportion of pesto to pasta in my life! The damage to my waistline will be terrible, because I can scarcely resist making this!
Tell me how it comes out. This recipe immediately went into my “Make Again” file.
I finally took the plunge and made this dish for my pre- and post-Yom Kippur fast meal. I used Barilla’s Fiori pasta, which does a good job of holding pesto. I chopped the pistachios a little too fine and decided to use only about 2½ oz of cheese, but the result was scrumptious!
A dash of pepper on top compliments the mint. A glass of Argentine Malbec (a Bordeaux-type wine) washed it all down.
I’ve made and enjoyed this awhile and glad to re-find the recipe here…think I’ll make it tonight. Will need to decide whether have it with white or follow Solomon’s suggestion and break out a Malbec. hmmm..
btw, I’ve served this pesto with pork tenderloin as an appetizer. Grilled the pork, cut it into chunks and guests could dip their pork into the pesto; worked very nicely!