Farfalle Pasta With Winter Pesto Recipes

FARFALLE PASTA WITH WINTER PESTO

Steps:

• Prepare pasta according to package instructions, reserving 1/4 cup liquid. Rinse and dry the greens well. Remove any thick stems and coarsely chop. Pulse garlic in food processor until chopped. Add nuts, salt, pepper, and one-third of greens. Pulse, adding remaining greens in batches until finely chopped. With motor running, slowly add oil. Toss pasta with cheese and pesto, thinning with reserved liquid as needed.

FARFALLE PASTA WITH BEET VINAIGRETTE AND PARSLEY PESTO

Steps:

• For the parsley pesto: Bring a medium pot of water to a rolling boil. Add the kosher salt until the water tastes like seawater and stir to blend. Add the parsley and cook for 1 minute, and then remove with a slotted spoon. Immediately plunge leaves into an ice bath and allow to cool, 3 to 5 minutes. Drain the leaves slightly and then put them in the blender with the sugar and olive oil. Blend until smooth. If the mixture is too thick, add some water to facilitate blending. Taste for seasoning. Stir in the scallions and set aside in a bowl large enough to hold the pasta.
• For the beet vinaigrette: Put the beet pieces in a medium saucepan and add 1 cup of water. Bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Allow it to reduce until there is about 1/4 cup liquid. Add the remaining 1 cup of water and reduce again until you have only 1/4 cup left. Season to taste. Remove from the heat and stir in the red wine vinegar and olive oil.
• For the pasta: In a large pot, bring 6 quarts of water to a rolling boil. Add a generous amount of salt; the pasta water should taste like seawater. Add the pasta to the pot and stir so it doesn't stick to the bottom as it cooks. Cook the pasta until al dente (chewy but not hard or raw tasting) 8 to 10 minutes. Drain the pasta in a colander, reserving some pasta cooking liquid in case you need it later.
• To serve: Pour the pasta into the bowl with the parsley pesto. Add the beet vinaigrette and butter and toss to blend. Add the Parmesan and finely sliced beet greens, if using. Serve immediately. Alternatively, you can drizzle the red beet vinaigrette over the pasta for a different color effect.

HOMEMADE FARFALLE PASTA

Steps:

• Mix flour and salt in a large bowl or on a marble work surface. Make a well in the center.
• Pour water into the well a little at a time, mixing it with the flour. Add as much water as needed to make a sticky but compact dough.
• Knead dough with your hands by flattening the ball, stretching it, and folding the top towards the center. Turn 45 degrees and repeat until dough is elastic and smooth, but not too soft, about 10 minutes.
• Shape dough into a ball. Place in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rest at room temperature for about 30 minutes before using.
• Cut off 1/3 of the dough. Wrap the remaining dough in plastic wrap to keep it from drying out. Flatten dough with your hands and pass through the largest setting of your pasta machine. Fold in half, rub with more flour, and pass through the pasta machine again.
• Keep passing though the machine until you reach an even rectangular sheet of smooth, not sticky, consistency.
• Pass the dough through the middle setting of your machine and then through the second-to-last to make a long and thin sheet. Trim the sheet into an even rectangle and rub with more flour.
• Trim off the short edge of the rectangle with a decorative ravioli wheel cutter. Trim the rectangle into strips, about 3/4 inch wide, with a flat ravioli wheel cutter. Section the strips into 1 1/3-inch large pieces with the decorative cutter.
• Push the sides of each piece towards the centre to form a bow tie and secure with a little dab of water.
• Proceed the same way with the rest of the dough. Transfer the farfalle to a floured surface and sprinkle with more semolina flour. Do not overlap or they will stick. Let dry for about 30 minutes before cooking.

FARFALLE WITH CREAMY PESTO

Steps:

• Cook pasta in boiling, salted water until al dente.
• While pasta is cooking, combine remaining ingredients except Parmesan in a food processor and process for 30 seconds.
• (To release more flavor from basil leaves, place them in a small plastic bag and bruise with a meat mallet before adding to food processor).
• Drain pasta and toss with sauce in a serving bowl.
• Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

FARFALLE WITH PESTO

Steps:

• Cook the pasta according to the package directions.
• Drain and rinse with cold water; drain again.
• In a food processor or blender, process the pine nuts, garlic and basil leaves until finely chopped.
• With the processor running, pour in the olive oil until combined.
• Add the cheese, lemon juice, salt and pepper.
• Toss the pesto with the pasta.
• Mix in the peas, cucumber and green onions.
• Serve garnished with basil leaves.

FARFALLE WITH BROCCOLI PESTO

Steps:

• Heat a skillet over medium heat. Toast hazelnuts, shaking skillet often, until golden, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook broccoli in boiling water until tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a colander with a slotted spoon. Bring water back to a boil and add farfalle; cook, stirring occasionally, until tender yet firm to the bite, about 12 minutes.
• Meanwhile, roughly chop cooled hazelnuts. Place hazelnuts, broccoli, parsley, mint, 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, and lemon zest in a food processor. Puree until smooth. Season pesto with salt and pepper.
• Drain farfalle, reserving 1/4 cup cooking water. Toss farfalle with pesto, reserved cooking water, and capers until well coated.

FARFALLE WITH PESTO SAUCE, STRING BEANS AND POTATOES

Steps:

• With a mortar and pestle, crush the garlic with a teaspoon of salt. Add the pine nuts and gradually add the basil and the oil, a little at a time. Grind until the ingredients have been reduced to a paste (this may also be done in a blender or food processor). Add the grated cheese and pepper and mix well.
• Bring six quarts of salted water to a roiling boil. Add the potatoes and the farfalle and cook together for about five minutes. Add the beans. Cook until the farfalle is al dente, and drain.
• Put the farfalle and vegetables in a large serving bowl. Add the pesto, toss thoroughly, correct seasoning and serve. Pass extra grated Parmesan cheese separately.

PASTA WITH PESTO SAUCE

Steps:

• In the bowl of a food processor or blender, combine the first 3 ingredients. Process to blend and then add the cheese, salt and pepper, stopping once to scrape down the sides of the bowl. With the machine running, gradually add the olive oil in a steady stream and blend until smooth.
• Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water, three-fourths full of water to a boil. Salt generously the water and add the bow-tie pasta. Cook stirring frequently until the pasta is "al dente."
• Drain the pasta, reserving about ½ cup of the cooking water. Return pasta to the pot and toss well -- while still hot -- with the pesto. Check the consistency and add some of the reserved pasta water to loosen the sauce.
• Garnish with savings of Pecorino Romano cheese and a few toasted pine nuts and serve immediately in warm bowls.