Fresh Fettuccini with Almond Pesto and Roasted Tomatoes

By kathryns

This recipe involves making fresh pasta and pesto. You can make pesto 3-days ahead and refrigerate. If storing the pesto, transfer to a storage container, top with a thin layer of olive oil, cover tightly and refrigerate. Probably best tasting, but on-hand pesto and good store-bought pasta should work fine.

Ingredients

• For the pesto:
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1 cup (5 1/2 oz./170 g) blanched almonds
• 1/2 cup (2 oz./60 g) grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 tsp. salt, plus more, to taste
• 1 tsp. freshly ground pepper, plus more, to taste
• 3 cups (4 oz./125 g) chopped fresh basil
• 1 cup (8 fl. oz./250 ml) olive oil, plus more as needed
• 1/4 cup (2 fl. oz./60 ml) fresh lemon juice
• 1 tsp. grated lemon zest
• 1/8 tsp. red pepper flakes
• For the pasta:
• 3 1/4 cups (1 lb./500 g) all-purpose flour
• 2 eggs
• 6 Tbs. water
• For the tomatoes:
• 1/2 lb. (250 g) cherry tomatoes on the vine
• 1 Tbs. olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
• 1/4 cup (1/2 oz./15 g) fresh bread crumbs, toasted

Preparation

Step 1

To make the pesto, place the garlic in a food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped. Add the almonds, cheese, the 1/2 tsp. salt and the 1 tsp. pepper and process until the almonds are finely ground, about 1 minute.

Add the basil, the 1 cup (8 fl. oz./250 ml) olive oil and the lemon juice and zest and process until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl, stir in the red pepper flakes and add additional salt and pepper to taste.

Make fettuccini.

To roast the tomatoes, preheat an oven to 400ºF (200ºC).

Brush the tomatoes with the olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Arrange the tomatoes in a single layer on a baking sheet and roast until the tomatoes begin to look wilted but have not yet burst, about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside.

While the tomatoes are roasting, bring a large pot two-thirds full of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until al dente (tender but firm to the bite), 2 to 4 minutes. Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup (8 fl. oz./250 ml) of the cooking water.

To assemble the dish, in a large sauté pan over medium heat, warm 1 cup (8 fl. oz./250 ml) of the pesto. Add the pasta and toss to combine. If the sauce is too thick, slowly add the reserved cooking water, a few tablespoons at a time, until the desired consistency is reached. Add more pesto if desired and toss again to combine.

Transfer the pasta to a large serving bowl, garnish with the roasted tomatoes still on the vine and the bread crumbs and serve immediately. Serves 2 to 4.