Pistachio Pesto Pasta

By gstark

Ingredients

• The Pesto:
• 5 quarts salted water in a 6-quart pot
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
• 2 large garlic cloves
• 1 tight-packed cup coarse-chopped fresh chives or scallion tops
• 4 tight-packed tablespoons fresh basil leaves
• 2 tablespoons fine-chopped red onion
• 1/3 cup shelled salted pistachios
• 2 tablespoons good-tasting extra-virgin olive oil
• The Pasta and Finish:
• 1 pound imported spaghetti or linguine
• 1 tablespoon good-tasting extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons fine-chopped red onion
• 1 cup (4 ounces) grated Asiago or Stella Fontinella cheese

Preparation

Step 1

Bring the salted water to a boil.
To make the pesto, pile the salt and pepper on a chopping board. Crush the garlic into it with the side of a large knife, and fine chop. Add the chives, basil, and onion, and continue chopping until the pieces are cut very fine. Add the nuts to the pile and continue cutting until they are coarse chopped. Directly on the board, blend in the oil. Taste for salt and pepper.
Drop the pasta into the boiling water and cool and a fierce boil, stirring often, until it is tender but still a little firm to the bite. Scoop out 1 cup of the pasta water and set it aside. Quickly drain the pasta.
Fill the empty pasta pot with the 1 tablespoon olive oil. Place it over Medium heat, and sauté the fine-chopped onion in it for 1 minute. Stir in the pesto. Warm it for only a few seconds over medium heat to let the flavors blossom—do not cook it. Stir in about 1/3 cup of the reserved pasta water to stretch the sauce. Immediately pull the pot off the heat. Add the drained pasta to the pot, and toss with the pesto and the cheese, adding more pasta water if the mixture seems very dry. Taste again for