When hot summer days roll around, midweek dinners that require minimal cooking really come into their own. I love making pesto on such evenings, and not just the classic basil-and-pine-nut situation. Jazzing things up with braised greens or a red pesto made from lots of jarred goods are just two directions in which I like to take things for a big hit of flavour. Both of today’s pestos freeze well, too.
Smoky pepper and chilli pesto pasta with ricotta (pictured top)
An almost no-cook sauce of smoked harissa whizzed up with jarred peppers, almonds and parmesan, tossed through rigatoni and topped with a dollop of lemony ricotta.
Prep 5 min
Cook 20 min
Serves 4
Salt and black pepper
400g rigatoni
90g flaked almonds
350g jarred roasted peppers
80g sun-dried tomatoes
1 garlic clove, peeled
1 heaped tbsp smoked harissa paste
15g basil
90g pecorino romano
Olive oil
250g ricotta
Juice and finely grated zest of ½ lemon
Bring a large pan of salted water to a boil, then add the pasta and cook according to packet instructions, until al dente.
Meanwhile, toast the almonds in a dry frying pan on a medium heat for three minutes, or until lightly golden, then tip into a bowl and leave to cool to room temperature.
Tip 70g of the almonds into the bowl of a food processor, add the peppers, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, harissa and basil, then grate in 70g of the pecorino and whizz to a paste. With the motor still running, gradually drizzle in 100ml olive oil, then season to taste.
Put the ricotta in a bowl, then grate in the remaining 20g pecorino and the lemon zest and juice. Whisk to combine, then season to taste with salt.
When the pasta is cooked, drain it, reserving a mugful of the pasta cooking water, then tip the hot pasta back into the pan. Add the pesto and a splash of the reserved pasta water, then mix and toss until well combined.
Spoon the pasta into bowls, top with a dollop of the lemon ricotta and a sprinkle of the remaining toasted almonds, finish with a drizzle of olive oil and serve.
Pesto pasta with braised runner beans
Prep 5 min
Cook 45 min
Serves 4
Olive oil
1 onion, peeled and finely sliced
2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
200g runner beans
Salt and pepper
400g casarecce
70g pine nuts
15g mint
80g basil
70g parmesan
Juice of ½ lemon
Put a medium-sized saute pan on a medium heat, then add three tablespoons of olive oil. Tip in the sliced onion and saute for 20 minutes, stirring often, untilit has softened completely and taken on a bit of colour. Add the garlic and saute for a minute more.
Trim the woody ends off the runner beans, then cut them diagonally into 2cm lengths. Stir these into the onions, add 100ml water and a pinch of salt, then pop on the lid and leave to cook for eight minutes.
Bring a large pan of salted water to a boil, add the pasta and cook according to packet instructions, until al dente.
Meanwhile, toast the pine nuts in a dry frying pan on a medium heat for three minutes, until lightly golden, then tip out and leave to cool.
Pick the leaves off the mint, then put them in the bowl of a food processor with the basil (stalks and all) and toasted pine nuts. Grate in the parmesan, then pulse to a coarse paste.
With the motor still running, drizzle in 100ml olive oil, then stir in the lemon juice and season to taste.
When the pasta is cooked, drain it, reserving a mugful of the cooking water, then tip the pasta into the bean pan. Add the pesto and a splash of the reserved pasta cooking water, then mix and toss until well combined.
Spoon the pasta into bowls, top with a little more parmesan and olive oil, and serve at once.
Sophie Wyburd is the author of Tucking In: A Very Comforting Cookbook, published by Ebury Press at £22. To order a copy for £19.80, visit guardianbookshop.com.
