Gemelli With Roasted Asparagus And Walnut Pesto Recipes

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook as the label directs; add the beans during the last 2 minutes of cooking. Reserve 3/4 cup cooking water, then drain. Set the pot aside.
• Meanwhile, pierce the potatoes all over with a fork. Microwave until tender, about 5 minutes. Let cool slightly, then chop.
• Heat the olive oil in the reserved pot over medium-high heat. Add the potatoes, season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add the pasta and green beans and stir to coat. Remove from the heat and add the pesto, lemon zest and 1/4 cup reserved cooking water; toss to coat, adding more cooking water as needed to loosen. Season with salt and pepper.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• Mix pesto with garlic and oil and toss with asparagus on a baking sheet.
• Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Roast in a preheated oven for 10-12 minutes or until done to your.
• liking.
• Sprinkle with freshly grated parmesan cheese and serve hot.

Steps:

• If you're using the pesto right away to dress maccheroni alla chitarra (or other pasta), heat a large pot of salted water to a boil before processing the sauce.
• To make the pesto: Heap the basil, parsley, garlic, walnuts, and salt into the food processor. Pulse several times, to chop everything together coarsely, then, with the machine running, pour in the 1/2 cup olive oil in a slow, steady stream. Stop and scrape down the sides of the work bowl, and process to a uniformly fine bright-green pesto.
• Put all the pesto into a large, deep bowl, big enough to toss all the pasta in. Meanwhile, start cooking the maccheroni or other pasta. Shortly before it is done, ladle 1/2 cup or so of the boiling pasta water into the bowl, and stir to warm and loosen the pesto-use only as much water as needed to bring the pesto to tossing consistency.
• When the maccheroni is perfectly al dente, lift it from the pot with tongs and a spider, drain it for an instant, then drop it into the bowl. Toss the pasta and sauce together thoroughly. Sprinkle a cup or so of grated cheese over it, then toss again. Serve immediately in warm bowls, with more cheese at the table.
• To store and use the pesto later: Scrape it from the food processor into a small jar or container. Smooth the top surface, and cover it with a thin layer of olive oil or a piece of plastic wrap to prevent discoloration. Refrigerate for a week, or freeze for several months; warm to room temperature before using.

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it. Add the asparagus and cook until fully tender but not mushy, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain well, reserving some of the cooking liquid, and let the asparagus cool slightly.
• Transfer the asparagus to a food processor and add the garlic, pine nuts, 2 tablespoons of the oil, Parmesan, a pinch of salt and a couple of tablespoons of the cooking liquid. Process the mixture, stopping to scrape down the sides of the container if necessary, and gradually add the remaining oil and a bit more of the reserved cooking liquid to moisten if necessary. Add the lemon juice and season with salt and pepper to taste, pulse one last time, and serve over pasta, fish or chicken (or cover and refrigerate for up to a day).

Steps:

• Cook pasta in a 6- to 8-quart pot of boiling salted water 8 minutes. Add asparagus and boil until asparagus is crisp-tender and pasta is al dente, about 2 minutes.
• While pasta is cooking, heat cream just to boiling in a 1-quart heavy saucepan, then stir in zest and remove from heat.
• Ladle out 1 cup pasta cooking water and reserve, then drain pasta and asparagus in a colander.
• Toss pasta and asparagus with cream, dill, salt, pepper, and 1/2 cup reserved cooking water in a large bowl (or in pasta pot). If pasta looks dry, moisten with some of remaining water. Add salmon and toss well.