Making Pistachio Pesto

Recently, I did my best Il Miglio impression and made pistachio pesto at home. While their version is extremely tasty and basically untouchable, I am proud to say I concocted a very respectable second-place offering and a decent stand-in for when you can't get your hands on the real thing.

One evening, struck with a craving for the aforementioned upscale pesto, I skimmed through this recipe from Food & Wine, then improvised. Here's how my pesto came to life:

1 cup shelled pistachios
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil (to start)
3 fresh mint leaves
1/4 teaspoon (ish) granulated garlic
1/3 cup powdered parmesan (to start)
salt and pepper (to taste)

I blitzed everything in a food processor, one ingredient at a time, starting with the nuts. Once everything was combined, I added more olive oil and more parm, in dribs and drabs, until the texture was to my liking. (Smooth but not runny.)

That night, we had the pistachio pesto over fusilli. It tasted shockingly great! There was plenty of sauce leftover for another round of pasta the next day. It also felt FANCY AF to whip up! (Ten dollars-worth of pistachios! What am I, rich?) I had fun channeling my inner Nora Ephron, throwing a curve ball to our predictable pandemic meal rotation.

A small note: Don't be turned off by the mint! It isn't a critical ingredient (the pesto will turn out just fine if you insist on leaving it out) but definitely lends a interesting layer to the sauce.

Let me know if you give it a go :)

Image credit: Real Simple

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Kitchen Lab: Brown Butter Sage Ravioli

Since the pandemic struck, we got in the habit of buying fresh pasta from favorite neighborhood spots (like Elio's and Conserva) to prepare at home. Not sure why I never really did it sooner -- it's such an easy "fancy dinner" hack.

A package of fresh butternut squash ravioli from il Miglio recently found its way into our fridge. (I first tried their pasta at the Time Out Market and definitely had A Moment with my dish. It was GOOD.) Wanting to honor the noodles' upscale vibe (lol), I mucked around in the kitchen to make a sauce to go with the rav. Brown butter sage is one of those recipes that bounces around the internet a lot, so I gave it my best shot. It was surprisingly simple to do. Even more surprising: The end result was great!

Here's how everything came together, if you're interested :)

1. Cook your ravioli per package instructions. I like mine as al dente as possible, but to each her own.

2. Once your pasta is in the water, put 1/4 cup of salted butter and 5-10 sage leaves in a frying pan over medium heat. 

2. a. I've seen recipes for brown butter sage where the herb's leaves are kept intact. Personally, I don't like tons of foliage in my pasta, so I cut mine into thin strips. (I'd call it chiffonade but that's giving me way too much credit.) Also, I used pineapple sage because I'm growing the stuff in my backyard and it has basically overtaken its planter.

2. b. Cut the butter into small chunks before tossing in the pan, to help it cook down faster and more evenly.

3. I peeked at a random recipe that called for three minutes of cook time. My advice is to just keep a close eye on your buttery concoction, stirring regularly, making sure neither the sage nor the butter burns. (It happens fast, so be careful!)

4. Your butter will start smelling super fragrant and nutty -- that's a good sign you need to pull it off the heat soon. The sage should also look fried and crispy.

5. When the ravioli is finished boiling, strain away the water, then put your pasta in the frying pan with the sauce. Toss together and serve HOT :)

Once plated, feel free to sprinkle grated parmesan or cracked black pepper on top.

*

My kitchen experiment also had an unplanned bonus dish...

I was forced to admit: Butter-soaked stuffed pasta is really heavy to eat on its own. (In related news: Duh.)

To lighten things up, I threw together a no-brainer salad. Obviously, I don't have measurements, so just play around to suit your tastes.

Arugula, olive oil, squeeze of lemon, grated parm, black pepper. Toss together, try a leaf, adjust the ingredients accordingly. I like chilling it in the fridge before serving.

Turns out that rich pasta + tart salad = a really balanced (and delicious) combo!

Image credit: Better Homes & Gardens

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