Simply Scratch ? Sundried Tomato & Toasted Walnut Pasta

October 8, 2012

So there I was, all alone? without kids and no husband for an entire evening!

Pat was Up North bow hunting and my Mother-in-law took the girls for a sleepover as she always does when it?s one of?her grand-daughters??birthdays {bless her heart}. And I found myself in a predicament that I haven?t had happen to me in a loooong while.

I had to make dinner? for just?myself.

All the possibilities ran through my head; greasy burger, fries and a beer or maybe sushi. But I?m not really good at doing the whole out-to-dinner thing by myself, so after a quick stop at the used book store I found myself at the grocery store buying ingredients {and by ingredients I mean wine} to make this pasta dish that I?ve wanted to make for a while now.

Now I could NEVER in a bazillion years make this for neither my husband nor my girls. It was a one-time-chance-of-a-thing, that I could enjoy something soooo extravagant {even though it?s really not} and so I picked up a bottle of Pinot and rushed home before the sunlight vanished.

The ingredients are pretty basic. You?ve got your sun-dried tomatoes, fresh basil, parm, garlic, lemon for a little freshness and the walnuts. You?ll also need some olive oil and spaghetti noodles or any noodle you fancy.

I immediately start by bringing a large pot of water to boil. I throw the pasta into the pot right after the pesto is made, so having the water ready and boiling is a good idea to speed things along.

Toasting the walnuts brings out their natural oils and makes them a little nuttier. It?s absolutely fabulous so just throw about a quarter of a cup of walnuts into a dry pan and heat over medium until fragrant. About 8-10 minutes. Keep a close eye on them so they don?t burn.

Mean while I tossed in a few sundried tomatoes {in olive oil} into a food processor. I have a GIANT jar of these? like Costco big, and I would say there was about 5-6 smallish ones. So like a quarter cup packed.

Then after that I added in the cooled toasted walnuts.

A few large leaves of basil, about 5.

A heaping quarter cup of fresh Parmesan that I grated by hand, not the pre-grated stuff? that stuff is usually coated in an anti-caking powder and well? it kind of freaks me out.

I then smashed, peeled and roughly chopped one smallish clove of garlic and tossed that in to the mix.

I squeezed just a smidgen of lemon juice? to brighten it up, about a teaspoon.

Then I drizzled in a quarter cup of olive oil and threw in some fresh cracked black pepper as well.

I put the lid on and blitzed it until it was pesto-fied. I did have to remove the lid and add a little bit more olive oil to get it to a peso-like consistency? so keep an eye out for that.

This.Smells.Heavenly. {by the way? right now is when I drop the pasta into the awaiting pot}

Remember that pan that I toasted the walnuts in? Well it has some remaining walnut oil residue {and walnut dust} in it, so put the pan back on the burner and turn the heat up to medium.

Add in the pesto?

Stir and stir and stir until little bits of the pest start to caramelize on the bottom of the pan.

Meet Pinot. Please take note of the cork that is in one piece? thank you, thank you.

Drizzle a little {or a LOT} depending on how wine-y you want this. Don?t like wine? Try a little vegetable or chicken broth or use some regular old water. Scrape the bottom of the pan to break those caramelized bits free.

Right after you?ve cooked the pasta to the package directions; grab some tongs and remove the pasta straight from the pot and into the pan. Why dirty a colander?

Give it a good toss. Add a 1/4 cup of the pasta water to thicken the sauce. Season with kosher salt and more black pepper to taste and you?re good to go.

Like real good.

I shaved some more Parmesan cheese over top of my bowl-o-pasta and poured myself more of that Pinot. Then I shoveled this in like there was no tomorrow. Luckily there was no one around to watch. It felt great.

I have to say, it was fun making dinner just for me, and making something I like and had enough leftovers for ME the next day. Then five minutes later I was bored, so I poured another glass of wine, caught up on my Words With Friends and then finished off a slice of my daughter?s birthday cake {recipe coming soon!}.

This pasta dish for two is deliciously nutty, light and sultry and did you catch the part where it can be whipped up in thirty minutes? Enjoy!

A delicious 30 minute pasta dish!

Yield: 2

Prep Time: 15 Minutes

Cook Time: 10-15 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

1/4 cup Walnuts, toasted

1/4 cup packed Sun-dried Tomatoes {about 5 small packed in olive oil}

1/4 cup grated Parmesan Cheese, plus more for serving

4 or 5 large Fresh Basil Leaves

1 clove Garlic, peeled and roughly chopped

1/4 cup Olive Oil, more if desired

1 teaspoon Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice

1/8 teaspoon Black Pepper

White Wine, to taste {I like Pinot Grigio}

Kosher Salt

1/2 box of Spaghetti Noodles

1/4 cup reserved Pasta Water

Directions:

Bring a large pot of water to boil.

Mean while, toast the walnuts in a dry 10 inch skillet over medium heat until fragrant, about 8-10 minutes. Watch closely so they don't burn.

In a mini food processor combine the sun-dried tomatoes, toasted walnuts, basil, Parmesan cheese, garlic, olive oil and black pepper. Process until thick and paste-like. Add more olive oil if it is too dry and crumbly.

Drop in the pasta and cook as directed on the package {usually 8-10 minutes on average}.

Re-heat the pan you toasted the walnuts in over medium heat and add in the sun-dried tomato/ walnut pesto. Stir often while the pesto starts to caramelize on the bottom of the pan.

De-glaze the pan with a good splash of white wine. Use as much or as little as you would like. Stir and scrape up the bits on the bottom of the pan.

Turn the heat off and, using tongs, add in the spaghetti noodles straight from the pot. Add a 1/4 cup of reserved pasta water and toss some more.

Top with shavings of Parmesan and serve.

Source: http://www.simplyscratch.com/2012/10/sundried-tomato-toasted-walnut-pasta.html

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