The Perfect Pesto Pasta
Lindsay Meyer | Sunday, September 6, 2009 It's a rare day when I have two culinary victories in the same 24-hr period. But yesterday, after my success with the chicken fajitas, I whipped up a pesto pasta dish that was to die for!
oh the yum...
It all started with my favorite pasta, orecchiette. I was planning on a simple pesto dressing with grated parmesan, but when I realized I had leftover pine nuts and a bunch of fresh arugula in the fridge, I thought I'd experiment. I had planned to toss the pretty greens on top of a pizza, but as it turns out, they make an excellent accompaniment to pasta. After rinsing the pasta, I heated it for about 45 seconds in a frying pan to "dry it out." Then I added about 3 tbsp of pesto, and 1 cup of arugula. The heat of the pasta "cooks" the arugula, and warms the pesto. Toss in some pine nuts, sprinkle in some aged parmesan and what a dinner!
Skimming a favorite food blog of mine tonight (La Tartine Gourmande), I was delighted to see that Beatrice had also recently added arugula to a pasta dish. And even more to my liking, she had praised the addition of arugula to pasta dishes - particularly those with pesto! I am a genius! I swear I didn't read this before! The validation was awesome :-)
Need a wine and dessert pairing? I had it with a full-bodied Bordeaux-style cabernet franc, from one of my favorite Napa wineries, Trefethen Family Vineyards. And for dessert? I went with a fleur-de-sel cupcake from Kara's. Okay, so not a dinner one should gorge on too often. But after a sweat-inducing workout, well deserved...
Reader Comments (1)
Lindsay,
Food looks great! But, I talked to Gramma today and she said that among your options is teaching English in South Korea. I have a friend whose daughter is beginning her second year there and loves it. Let me know if you'd like to talk with her!
Good luck!