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Tagliatelle with Escarole Pesto, Hazelnuts, and Castelmagno

17/11/2023

I can guide you through the preparation of tagliatelle with escarole pesto, hazelnuts, and Castelmagno. Here is the list of ingredients and detailed procedure.

Ingredients

  • 250 g of fresh tagliatelle
  • 1 bunch of escarole (about 500 g)
  • 80 g of toasted hazelnuts
  • 100 g of grated Castelmagno DOP
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • 5 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

  1. Clean the escarole by removing the outer leaves, damaged parts, and the excessively hard stem. Rinse the remaining leaves under running water and dry them well.

  2. In a large pan, heat a little olive oil and gently fry the garlic cloves. Add the escarole cut into strips and let it wilt for about 5-7 minutes, until it has reduced in volume. At this point, remove the garlic and let the escarole cool.

  3. In the meantime, you can proceed with the pesto. Put the toasted hazelnuts, grated Castelmagno, a pinch of salt, a grind of pepper, and the cooked escarole leaves in a blender. Blend everything adding the extra virgin olive oil in a stream until you get a homogeneous cream. If necessary, adjust the salt and pepper.

  4. Bring a pot of abundantly salted water to a boil and cook the tagliatelle for the time indicated on the package or until al dente.

  5. Drain the tagliatelle reserving some of the cooking water and place them in the pan. Add the escarole, hazelnut, and Castelmagno pesto and mix gently. If the pesto is too thick, you can add a little cooking water to make it creamier.

  6. Serve the well-seasoned tagliatelle, and if you wish, garnish with some coarsely chopped hazelnuts and flakes of Castelmagno.

Curiosity

Castelmagno is a DOP cheese from Piedmont that takes its name from the homonymous village in the Grana and Maira valleys. It is characterized by a strong and decidedly aromatic flavor that pairs perfectly with the sweetness of the hazelnuts and the slight bitterness of the escarole. Depending on your taste, you can also add some minced anchovies to the pesto for an additional flavor touch.

Tagliatelle with Escarole Pesto, Hazelnuts, and Castelmagno