Linguine Pasta with Pesto
By Marcus Coates, @homeinriyadh, 11th March 2021
As I’m 15 recipes into my Quick & Easy series, I’ve noticed that I haven’t even included a pasta dish to date. I’d say this is rather remiss of me, considering that pasta is arguably the easiest dish in the world to put together next to boiling eggs.
So, for this week’s Quick & Easy, we’ll be checking out linguine pasta with pesto dressing.
Now, just the mere mention of the word ‘linguine’ got me thinking of Italy and Italians; but did the Italians invent pasta? Apparently not!
Popular legend has it that Marco Polo introduced pasta to Italy following his exploration of the Far East in the late 13th Century. However, archaeologists trace pasta further back to the 4th century B.C., where an Etruscan tomb shows a group of people making what appears to be pasta (sharethepasta.org). The latest research puts the Etruscan civilisation that existed 3000 years ago as having its origins in old Anatolia, now in Southern Turkey.
So there you have it - breaking news!: pasta – could be Chinese or Turkish! So, next time someone says to you, ‘fancy popping out for pasta?’ Just tell them, 'Nah, I’m not in the mood for Chinese or Turkish food today.’
Okay, now on to the recipe … but only after this quick joke:
Q: “What do you call something that looks like pasta, and tastes like pasta, but isn’t pasta?”
A: “An impasta!”
Okay, now on to the recipe ...
Ingredients (serves 3)
1 x pack of linguine pasta
1 x jar of pesto sauce (you can make homemade if you have more time and want to take it to the next level – see recipe no. 4 for this – or use inferior but quicker shop-bought)
1 x hefty sprinkle of parmesan cheese
1 x beef tomato - optional
Parsley to garnish - optional
Method
Place a large pot of water on the stove and bring it to a boil. Open the pasta packet, add pasta to the water, and cook until al dente (firm to the bite). Remove when al dente and place in a colander to drain the water. Transfer to a bowl, add the pesto and stir, coating the pasta. Voila, you’re done! (That’s French and English … I don’t know the Italian, Chinese or Turkish equivalent).
Serving
Using a set of tongs, transfer the pesto-coated linguine to plates and add a significant heft of grated parmesan cheese. If you want to add more variety, then dice and sprinkle over a tomato and chop some parsley and add that as well – like in the pictures.
Pro Tip 1
If you want that ‘restaurant look’ when you serve your pasta, then do the following: twist the pasta around the tongs when you take it from the bowl, then place the pasta in the middle of the plate and slowly unwind to release your utensil. Your Italian-Chinese-Turkish pasta will have height and stature. As we tend to eat with our eyes, this can only be a good thing, right?
Last joke …
Q: “What did the pasta that grew up in the streets tell his kids?”
A: “I grew up in the Spaghetto!”
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