Creamy Pesto Bucatini

Creamy Pesto Bucatini

Prep Time: 25 Min
Cook Time: 25 Min

Yields: 4+ Servings

What You Need

• 454g Dry Bucatini Pasta
• 2 Tbsp. EVOO
• 2 Tbsp. Unsalted Butter
• 3 cloves Garlic, crushed & minced
• 1 Tsp. Red Pepper Flakes
• 1 Yellow Onion, finely diced
• 1 C White Wine ( I used a local Ontario Pinot Grigio)
• 1 1/2 C Whipping Cream, room temp
• Himalayan Salt & Cracked Pepper
• GARNISH - Fresh Basil, Grana Padano

PESTO RECIPE

• 1/4 C Pine Nuts (heaping)
• 1/4 C EVOO (more if needed)
• 1 Lemon, juice only (start with half)
• 2 cloves Garlic, crushed & chopped
• 1/3 g Grana Padano, cut in to small cubes
• 28g pkg. Fresh Basil
• 1/4 C Fresh Parsley
• 1/4 Tsp. + Himalayan Salt
• Cracked Pepper & Red Pepepr Flakes

Directions

• Get a large pot of cold, generously salted water ( i used about 3 tsp salt) on to the stove. Cover, and bring to a boil.
• In the meantime, make the PESTO. Toast the pine nuts in a dry skillet over just about medium heat until golden and toasty. Keep your eyes on them, no burning!! Once they're ready, get them in to a small vortex blender along with all of the other ingredients. Add a few cracks of black pepper and a good pinch of pep flakes. Blend until creamy. If needed, add additional EVOO / other half of your lemon for emulsification / flavour. Taste and adjust salt to your liking if needed. Set aside.​

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• Now, let's work on our pasta sauce. Begin heating the EVOO, butter, pepper flakes, and garlic, in a large skillet set to about medium. Once heated, let everything sizzle together for about 30 seconds before adding the onion and a good pinch of both salt & pepper. Stir as needed and cook for about 10 minutes until onions are mostly soft. Reduce your temp if you notice browning.
• Pour in the wine, add a good pinch of salt, and make sure to scrape the bottom of the skillet to loosen up flavour bits. At this time, add your bucatini to your boiling water. We're going to cook that until ALMOST perfectly al dente, maybe a minute less. Once the wine has reduced by half, a few minutes, add the creamy and wait for the sauce to start bubbling away. Season with salt & pepper, reduce to a simmer, and simmer until the pasta is ready.​

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• Once the pasta is just about al dente, strain it directly in to the skillet with the sauce, reserving the pot of pasta water. Use tongs and start tossing the pasta in the skillet with the creamy sauce. Continue over low heat until your pasta is perfectly al dente.
• Turn off the heat and add the entre batch of pesto along with two good ladles of pasta water. Start tossing until the pesto has dispersed and emulsified into your creamy sauce and your pasta is sauced to perfection. If you feel inclined to add more pasta water, go for it! Just keep tossing until glossy and sauced to your liking. Make sure to taste for salt prior to service.
• SERVE your portions with some finely shredded grana padano, a sprinkle of pep flakes, and some fresh basil. ENJOY!
• Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container for up to 4 days. I added a ladle of pasta water to the skillet before packing it up. When reheating, heat in a skillet with some broth and / or cream to rehydrate. :)

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HAPPY VEG