GLUTEN-FREE SPAGHETTI, WINTER ‘PESTO’, PEAS, PANCETTA, PARMESAN
Winter Pesto is great to have on hand to enrich a wintery soup, serve as a pasta sauce with some freshly grated parmesan, pancetta and peas or use wherever you fancy some extra tasty, green flavour.
Rosie
SPAGHETTI WITH WINTER PESTO, PEAS, PANCETTA AND PARMESAN
Serves 4
200 gm pancetta or speck, cut into lardons
200 gm peas, fresh or frozen and defrosted
120 gm Winter Pesto (see below)
320 gm gluten-free spaghetti (we prefer Rummo brand)
130 gm parmesan, freshly grated, plus extra to garnish
Place the pancetta into a frying pan and sauté gently over a low heat until lightly coloured. Add the peas and toss. Reserve a few peas and pieces of pancetta for a garnish then add the Winter Pesto to the pan and stir to combine.
Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil and add the spaghetti. Cook until al dente. Keep a cup of the pasta liquid aside then strain the spaghetti and add it to the pan with the sauce.
Toss to combine, stirring in enough of the pasta water to reach your desired consistency. Add the grated parmesan and toss to combine.
Serve topped with the reserved pancetta and peas and some extra parmesan.
WINTER ‘PESTO’
Makes approximately 375gm
½ teaspoon salt
1 large leek, trimmed, halved, washed and cut into chunks
6 cloves garlic, peeled
½ bunch cavolo nero, stalks removed, washed and very roughly chopped
100 ml olive oil
Sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper to season
Fill a saucepan with water. Add the salt and bring to a boil.
Add the leek and garlic cloves and simmer for 3 minutes before adding the cavolo nero.
Simmer for a further 3 or 4 minutes. Reserve half a cup of the poaching liquid then strain the vegetables. Transfer them to a blender and add the olive oil. Blend until smooth. Add a few tablespoons of poaching liquid if necessary to achieve a consistency similar to thick cream.
Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Store in the fridge. Freezes well.
TIPS:
If you’re using the Winter Pesto as a pasta sauce cook the vegetables in a large saucepan of water and reserve all the vegetable poaching liquid, bring it back to the boil and cook the dried pasta in it.
Winter Pesto freezes well. We like to freeze it in small amounts ready to defrost in the fridge and throw into anything and everything.