Linquine with Pesto, Sun Dried Tomatoes and Arugula
This is a recipe you cant go wrong with Serve it with your favorite grilled salmon and your favorite salad for guests I made this several times when we had company for dinner while living in Dresden Germany because the ingredients were easily available Of course in Germany we often said pass the rolls please
This is a recipe you cant go wrong with Serve it with your favorite grilled salmon and your favorite salad for guests I made this several times when we had company for dinner while living in Dresden Germany because the ingredients were easily available Of course in Germany we often said pass the rolls please
- Carbohydrate 48.8438833333333 g
- Cholesterol 60.3733333333333 mg
- Fat 21.5796958333333 g
- Fiber 2.01037504514058 g
- Protein 13.9029958333333 g
- Saturated Fat 3.61151625 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (161g)
- Sodium 181.6775 mg
- Sugar 46.8335082881928 g
- Trans Fat 1.93826333333333 g
- Calories 436 calories
Step-by-step
- Put the pine nuts in a small, dry skillet. Place the skillet over low heat and cook the pine nuts, stirring frequently, until they darken slightly in color, 2 to 3 minutes. Immediately transfer the pine nuts to a small dish or plate and set them aside to cool.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a full rolling boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente; tender but still chewy.
- While the pasta is cooking, make the pesto: In a food processor fitted with the stainless-steel blade, or a blender, combine the basil, garlic, olive oil, pine nuts and salt. Process,( or blend on high speed in a blender), until smoothly pureed, stopping several times as necessary to scrape down the side of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
- As soon as the pasta is done cooking, drain it, reserving one cup of it's cooking water.Transfer the drained pasta to a mixing bowl. Add the pesto, sun dried tomatoes, arugula leaves and vinegar. Toss well, adding just enough of the reserved cooking water while you toss to help the pesto coat the pasta thoroughly and evenly.
- With serving spoons, transfer the pasta to individual large, shallow serving bowls, making sure that each serving gets a fair share of the tomatoes and arugula leaves.
- Serve immediately, passing freshly grated parmesan cheese for each person to add to taste.
Avoiding Emulsion Failure and Overcooked Greens
The ingredient quantities do not reveal how sensitive the final emulsion is to residual heat. Adding the baby arugula and oil-packed tomatoes directly to piping-hot pasta requires precise timing. If the pasta is too hot when tossed, the delicate leaves wilt into a drab green slime rather than maintaining distinct structural bite. Reserve one full cup of starchy cooking water before draining the linguine. The starch molecules in that water bind the olive oil and pureed pine nuts into a cohesive sauce that clings to the strands instead of pooling at the bottom of the bowl. Toast the pine nuts over low heat for precisely two to three minutes while stirring constantly; oils in pine nuts scorch rapidly, imparting an acrid bitterness that no amount of parmesan cheese can mask. Process the basil, garlic, oil, nuts, and salt in a food processor until entirely smooth, scraping down the bowl repeatedly to ensure no fibrous garlic chunks compromise the texture.
Managing Leftovers and Proper Storage
Leftover pasta dressed with fresh basil pesto demands careful handling within a twenty-four-hour storage window. Basil oxidizes rapidly when exposed to air, turning dark brown and developing a metallic flavor profile. Store any surplus in an airtight glass container pressed with a layer of plastic wrap directly against the surface of the pasta to minimize oxygen exposure. Reheating this dish on the stovetop over medium-low heat with an additional tablespoon of water restores the loosened emulsion. Avoid the microwave entirely, as direct thermal radiation forces the olive oil to separate from the solids, leaving the linguine greasy and dry simultaneously.
