I'm Gemma, a food blogger based in south London. Simple, delicious, and minimal ingredient cooking is what I love most, so when Sophie and the team asked me to put together a recipe to celebrate National Pasta Day, this pesto pasta dish immediately sprang to mind. It's the perfect combination of comforting, creamy, fresh, and filling. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do.
Freshly made pasta is one of my favourite dishes as it’s filling, hearty and can make you feel like you’re sat in an Italian restaurant right at your own dinner table. Pesto is a light addition to the fresh pasta, and can also be made easily at home. Wow anyone at a dinner party, or just make for yourself, this fresh pesto pasta dish is indulgent, yet simple to throw together in less than an hour.
Ingredients for Pasta:
- 250 grams of ‘00’ Pasta Grade Flour
- 100 grams of Semolina Flour, separated into 50g x 2
- 3 large eggs
Ingredients for Pesto:
- 2 cups of fresh basil
- ½ cup of pine nuts
- ½ cup of freshly grated parmesan cheese
- 2 cloves garlic, smashed
- ½ cup of olive oil
- ¼ cup of water, incase your blender/food processor needs help getting going
Method:
- You will need clingfilm and a rolling pin (or a pasta machine if you have).
- Place 250g ‘00’ Pasta flour into a bowl along with 50g Semolina flour and mix together until thoroughly blended.
- Create a well in the middle of the flour with a spoon or your hands.
- Crack your three eggs into the well.
- Whisk eggs slowly combining with the flour until forming a dough (you may need to use your hands or a fork toward as the mixture gets thicker).
- Flour your cooking surface with a sprinkle of Semolina flour and knead your dough on this surface for about 10 minutes, forming a ball.
- Once your dough is ready, wrap tightly in cling-film and place in your refrigerator for about 30 minutes.
- While your dough ball sits, take all of your pesto ingredients and place in your blender or food processor.
- Pulse blender or food processor until all ingredients are thoroughly blended, creating a thick and creamy green pesto. If your ingredients are at first difficult to pulse, feel free to add a dash of water at a time until the blender can pulse to blend the produce.
- Set pesto to the side once completed.
- After 30 minutes, remove the ball from the clingfilm and cut in half. Sprinkle both halves in Semolina flour.
- Using your rolling pin, roll out one half of the dough until flat.
- If you are using your pasta machine, run through until you reach number 3 on the dial. If you are rolling by hand, continue until your dough is approximately 2-3mm thick.
- Once your dough is flat, with a sharp knife, cut off the rounded edges to form a rectangle.
- Cut 3cm wide strips length-ways in your dough to create your pasta: pappardelle.
- Sprinkle with semolina to prevent sticking, and set to the side. Hang on your pasta rack if you have.
- Repeat with second half of dough ball until all dough has been used.
- Boil water with a pinch of salt.
- Add pasta once boiled and cook for 3-4 minutes (al dente) or until cooked to preferred texture.
- Drain pasta and return to pot.
- Stir in pesto until all pasta is completely covered and transfer to your pasta dish.
Pleasing to the eye and to the stomach, this pasta dish can be topped with more pine nuts for a little crunch, or freshly grated parmesan sprinkled on top for a more creamy finish for your delicious pasta dish.
