Pasta Walnetto Recipes

PASTA WALNETTO

Steps:

• Boil the noodles, (or linguine) until al dente.
• Drain well.
• Mix heavy cream and sour cream, add to noodles with salt and pepper and 2 tablespoons of the butter.
• Cover and keep warm.
• Heat the remaining tablespoon of butter in a small pan.
• Saute the garlic for 3 minutes, being careful not to let it brown.
• Remove from heat, stir in chopped walnuts, Parmesan and chicken broth.
• Toss with the noodles.
• Serve immediately.

PASTA WITH WALNUT SAUCE

Steps:

• Put a large saucepan of water on to boil, and toast the walnuts in a dry frying pan until they begin to make a nutty aroma. Put the bread in a bowl and cover with the milk. Put most of the toasted walnuts (reserving about 1 ounce for garnish) into a blender along with the garlic, bread soaked in milk, and Parmesan. Blend until it turns smooth and creamy, then pour in the oil and season well with salt and pepper before blending again.
• Pour into a bowl, and set aside.
• Add pasta to boiling water with salt and cook for the required amount of time. When pasta is al dente, reserve a cup of the pasta cooking liquid and then drain the pasta, but put it in to a large bowl while it's still dripping slightly with water. Sprinkle a little olive oil over the pasta to prevent it sticking together, and then add the walnut sauce, mixing it into the pasta (splash in a little pasta cooking liquid to make the sauce less thick if needed).
• Roughly chop the remaining walnuts and toss them over the top along with some more Parmesan and the chopped parsley.

PASTA WITH WALNUTS AND OLIVE OIL

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it. Meanwhile, combine nuts, parsley and garlic in a small food processor and turn machine on. (Or use a mortar and pestle.) Add oil gradually, using just enough so that mixture forms a creamy paste. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Cook pasta, stirring occasionally, until it is tender but not mushy. When it is ready, drain it, reserving a little cooking water. Toss with sauce. If mixture appears too thick, thin with a little more olive oil or some of the pasta cooking water.

OLIVE-WALNUT PASTA

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. When the water's boiling, add the pasta and cook until al dente. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water, then drain.
• While the pasta's cooking, in a large Dutch oven, stir together the olive oil, walnuts and olives. Set over medium heat and cook, stirring often, until fragrant and the walnuts are toasted, 3 to 5 minutes. Turn off the heat, finely grate in the garlic clove and season with 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and a few grinds of black pepper. Stir to combine.
• Add the pasta and 1/4 cup pasta water to the walnut mixture. Cook over medium-low, stirring and adding pasta water as needed, until the pasta is well coated. Remove from heat and stir in half the lemon zest and all the lemon juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper and more lemon zest.

PENNE AND PEPPERS

Steps:

• In a saucepan, heat olive oil, add onions, then garlic and sauté until wilted.
• Place sausage in oven on broiling pan, and heat at 400°F.
• Add spaghetti sauce to onion/garlic mixture, then stir in the tomato paste, heating slowly to a low boil, mixing well.
• Add the jalapeño, cherry peppers and celery.
• Cook at low heat until the peppers are just less than crisp, and just more than soft --
• Start the water boiling for the penne noodles; when boiling, add the penne, and cook about 7 minutes, then drain.
• Remove the sausage from the oven (40 minutes cooking) and slice thinly on the diagonal, 3/8-inch thickness, and mix with sauce, stirring well.
• Serve with grated Asiago over the penne noodles. Accompany with a truly dry Italian wine, and note how the "spiciness" turns the ashy dry taste of the wine to a sweet taste on the palate.