LINGUINE w/PECAN-ARUGULA PESTO

By BobD

Ingredients

• 4-6 SERVINGS
• 3/4 cup pecans (3 oz), toasted
• 1 large garlic clove
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 10 oz arugula, coarse stems discarded
• 1/2 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (1 1/2 oz)
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 lb dried linguine

Details

Servings 4
Adapted from gourmet.com

Preparation

Step 1

MAKE OIL:

Finely chop 1/4 cup pecans (preferably with a knife).

Mash garlic to a paste with salt using a mortar and pestle (or mince and mash with a large heavy knife).

Blend remaining 1/2cup pecans, arugula, cheese, oil, pepper, and garlic paste in a food processor until smooth, about 1 minute.

Cook pasta in a 6- to 8-quart pot of boiling salted water until al dente, 10 to 12 minutes.

Ladle out and reserve 1 1/2 cups cooking water. Drain pasta in a colander, then return to pot and toss with pesto, 1/2 cup cooking water, and chopped pecans, adding more cooking water as necessary if pasta seems dry.

COOKS NOTES:
You can substitute 2 cups fresh flat-leaf parsley for the arugula, but then you should use only 1/3 cup olive oil (instead of 1/2 cup) in the pesto.