Linguine with Walnut Pesto

Here’s the recipe to prepare delicious Linguine with walnut pesto, which is a great example of how we can incorporate ingredients from the Italian territory into richly flavored and enveloping dishes.

Ingredients

• 320 g of linguine
• 100 g of shelled walnuts
• 50 g of grated Parmesan
• 1 clove of garlic
• A few leaves of fresh marjoram (optional)
• 80 ml of extra virgin olive oil
• Salt to taste
• Black pepper to taste
• Pasta cooking water as needed

Preparation

1. First, bring a pot of salted water to a boil for cooking the linguine.
2. In the meantime, prepare the walnut pesto. In a blender, add walnuts, garlic, Parmesan, marjoram (if you are using it), a pinch of salt and pepper.
3. Blend everything together, gradually adding the extra virgin olive oil until you get a smooth cream. If the mixture is too thick, you can add a little pasta cooking water to make it more fluid.
4. When the water boils, cook the linguine according to the package instructions to get an al dente pasta.
5. Drain the linguine, reserving some of the cooking water, and transfer them to a large bowl.
6. Add the walnut pesto to the linguine and mix gently. If needed, add a little of the reserved cooking water to achieve the desired consistency.
7. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper if necessary.

Serve your linguine with walnut pesto immediately, you can garnish with some whole or crushed walnuts for a crunchy touch. This dish is a great combination of the simplicity of the fruits of the earth and the Italian culinary tradition.

Curiosity

Walnut pesto is a variant of the more well-known pesto alla genovese and represents one of the many treasures of Ligurian cuisine. Variants of this sauce can be found in different Italian regions, sometimes enriched with cream or gorgonzola for an even more enveloping taste.