Pasta in Garlic-Almond Sauce
April 19, 2009
Spring has sprung and this Pasta in Garlic Almond sauce fits right into the category of Spring recipes! Needless to say this one of the best pasta dish’s I have ever made! The pureed almonds with garlic created an exceptional flavor to this pasta with pea’s, which is then finished off with fresh parmesan cheese, lemon juice, fresh herbs, and of course more almonds (chopped). This recipe (from my Gourmet magazine) calls for a cavatappi pasta, never having heard of cavatapppi pasta, I looked diligently in the store but could not find it, so I picked a small macaroni which was perfect. Now after researching good ol Google, for cavatappi, also known as Cellentani, I learned that it is a small tubular cork screw pasta. The finishing touch from the fresh herbs, mint and basil are what pull all the flavors together in this very delicious pasta dish! Please enjoy!
For more vegetarian pasta recipe’s, click here.
- ¾ cup whole blanched almonds
- 3 garlic cloves, mashed
- 2/3 cup water
- 1 lb. cavatappi pasta, or any small tubular pasta
- 2 tbsp. olive oil
- 3 tbsp. unsalted butter, divided
- 1 (10 oz.) package frozen peas
- ½ cup grated fresh parmesan
- 1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
- ½ cup torn basil leaves, divided
- 1/3 cup torn mint leaves, divided
- 1/3 cup chopped roasted almonds
Puree almonds and garlic with water and ¼ tsp. salt in a blender until smooth. Cook pasta in a pot of boiling salted water until almost al dente. Reserve 3 cups pasta water and drain pasta.
Heat oil and 1 tbsp. butter in a large skillet over medium heat until foam subsides. Add almond puree and simmer, whisking occasionally, until thickened, about 3 minutes. Add 2 ½ cups reserved pasta water, ¼ tsp. salt, and ½ tsp. pepper and simmer, whisking occasionally until thickened, 3 to 4 minutes. Whisk in remaining 2 tbsp. butter until melted. Add pasta and peas and cook, stirring occasionally, until pasta is al dente (sauce will be thin), 2 to 3 minutes. Add cheese and lemon juice and stir until combined well. Remove from heat and stir in half of the basil, mint, and salt and pepper to taste. Serve in pasta bowls topped with almonds, remaining herbs, and additional cheese.
Serves: 6
Total time: 30 minutes
Related posts:
- Garlic and Lemon Marinated Chicken Breasts With Gnocchi and Sage Butter Sauce
- Almond-Crusted Chicken
- Joy’s Eggplant with Pasta and Marinara Sauce
April 19th, 2009 at 3:49 pm
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