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Pistachio pasta sauce

Pistachio Cream Sauce over Pasta

A speedy and delicious pasta sauce of ground pistachios, onion, cream, and lemon. From Sicily.
Course Pasta
Cuisine Italian
Keyword cream, cream sauce, Lemon, lemon rind, pasta, pistachios
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 lb dried pasta or 1 ½ fresh
  • 1 medium Vandalia onion finely chopped, or use yellow or red
  • 1 cup. unsalted roasted pistachios
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
  • 1 pinch crushed red pepper
  • salt
  • fresh ground black pepper

lots of grated parmesan cheese, more chopped parsley and pistachios

Instructions

  1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add a generous amount of salt when it has come to a boil.
  2. While the pot of water is heating up, pulse in a food processor or chop by hand the pistachios until very finely chopped. Do not over process if using a food processor, as it will become pistachio butter.
  3. When the water has heated and is boiling, add the salt and cook the pasta according to the directions on the package. If you are using fresh pasta, you can wait until the pasta sauce is almost finished before you cook the pasta as it only takes a minute or two.

  4. While the pasta is cooking, heat a large skillet to medium heat and sauté the onion with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil until soft and translucent but not browned.

  5. Add the pistachios, plus the remaining 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Cook for 1-2 minutes but do not let the pistachios brown.

  6. when the pasta is cooked drain reserving 1/4 cup of the cooking liquid

  7. Add in the cream and a ¼ cup of the pasta cooking water, heat until the sauce come to a simmer.
  8. Add the lemon zest, juice, and crushed red pepper.
  9. Take off heat and add the parsley, and season with salt and pepper. You may not need much salt as the cooking liquid has salt in it as does the parmesan cheese.
  10. Toss the pasta with the sauce until well coated and serve with generous amounts of the grated parmesan cheese. And more chopped parsley and pistachios if desired