Wild Garlic Pesto Pasta (Printable version)
Fresh spring pasta with vibrant wild garlic pesto, pine nuts, and Parmesan in just 25 minutes.
# What you need:
→ Wild Garlic Pesto
01 - 2.65 oz wild garlic leaves, rinsed and patted dry
02 - 1.75 oz toasted pine nuts (or walnuts)
03 - 1.75 oz freshly grated Parmesan cheese
04 - 1 garlic clove, peeled
05 - 3.4 fl oz extra virgin olive oil
06 - Juice of ½ lemon
07 - Salt and black pepper, to taste
→ Pasta
08 - 14.1 oz dried pasta (spaghetti, linguine, or penne)
09 - Salt, for pasta water
→ Optional Garnish
10 - Extra grated Parmesan
11 - Freshly cracked black pepper
# How To:
01 - Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a rolling boil. Add the pasta and cook according to package directions until al dente. Reserve 4 fl oz of the starchy pasta water before draining through a colander.
02 - While the pasta cooks, combine the wild garlic leaves, toasted pine nuts, grated Parmesan, and garlic clove in a food processor. Pulse several times until the ingredients are coarsely chopped and well combined.
03 - With the processor running continuously, slowly drizzle in the extra virgin olive oil through the feed tube. Continue processing until a smooth, vibrant green paste forms. Add the lemon juice and season with salt and black pepper to taste.
04 - Transfer the drained pasta back to the pot or a large serving bowl. Add the wild garlic pesto and toss thoroughly to coat every strand. Splash in the reserved pasta water a little at a time until the sauce reaches a silky, clinging consistency.
05 - Divide the pesto pasta among serving plates immediately. Finish with an extra shower of grated Parmesan and a generous crack of black pepper, if desired.
# Expert Advice:
01 -
- Wild garlic pesto comes together in under ten minutes and tastes exponentially better than anything from a jar.
- The lemon juice and starchy pasta water combine into a silky sauce that clings to every single strand.
02 -
- If you add the oil too fast it will pool on top instead of emulsifying, so pour slowly and trust the process.
- The pesto will darken within hours once exposed to air, so press cling film directly onto its surface if you are storing any.
03 -
- Reserve more pasta water than you think you need because it is the secret weapon that transforms a thick paste into a glossy restaurant quality sauce.
- Briefly blanching the wild garlic leaves in boiling water for ten seconds then shocking them in ice water locks in that electric green colour.