Lemon Cream Pesto over Fresh Linguine Fini

Well, apparently you can’t keep a big mouth down. Well at least not mine. Lately I have found myself talking my way through recipes, out loud in my kitchen (now stop, I am completely stable) and thought “hey why not go blab on the Patch again”. I have been very short on time however if I am still going to cook all this stuff maybe I can find a little time to share a recipe or two. Or I’m trying to find a way to spend less time with my cat:(

Recently I was trying to come up with some new flavors for pesto. I love pesto, it is one of the best and most malleable sauces in terms of flavor adjustment. Not to mention the fact that it is so tasty that it may be the only green thing to lay on the dinner table that my children will eat. Now pesto traditionally is low in fat, made with few ingredients and is delicious in its simplicity. Now the first issue there is the low in fat part. Yes it is wonderful in its basic form but why settle for simple when we can really jazz it up with big flavors, fresh pasta and a ton of heavy cream. So break out your ellipticals people because we about to fatten up the most delicious pesto sauce you will ever wish you ate less of.

Lemon Cream Pesto over Fresh Linguini Fini

Equipment List

Large pasta pot
Strainer
Medium saute pan
food processor
whisk

Ingredient List

1 lb linguini fini, fresh
3 lemons, juice and zest of all
2 c fresh basil, chop ¼ cup to put on top
¼ pine nuts, toasted (cashews are also delicious)
3 tbsp chopped garlic
1 tsp capers (optional)
about 1 c olive oil
S&P to taste
2 c heavy cream
2 tbsp butter or margarine

Putting It All Together

Start with the pesto in the food processor. Add the nuts, garlic, 1 ¾ cups of basil, the zest and juice of the lemons, capers and a pinch each of salt and pepper to start; you can add more later.
Give the ingredients a spin just to combine. With the food processor running drizzle in the olive oil through the tube, very slowly until it forms a sauce at a medium thick consistency. If you get it two thin the cream sauce will have a hard time thickening. Now, melt the butter in the saute pan and add in the pesto. Heat until bubbling slightly. Add half of the cream and whisk until hot then add the other half. Reduce the heat to simmer and let bubble until the sauce is thick and creamy. Check along the way for salt and pepper and add as needed. Bring the water in the pasta pot to boiling and add salt, oil and the pasta. The fresh pasta will cook fast, just a few minutes. Remove from the water into a strainer and spray with a little cool water just to stop the cooking process, you want it to be chewy not sticky. Add the pasta to the saute pan and toss until the pasta is totally covered in sauce. Sprinkle with fresh basil before serving.