Watercress Pesto with Linguine

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 15

Total Time: 25

Servings: people

Sharp and peppery, the watercress is a great way to enhance any delicious pasta dish. Taking the classic pasta with pesto up a notch.

Ingredients

1 bunch watercress
1 garlic clove
4 tablespoons parmesan cheese , + shavings
½ cup pine nuts
½ cup olive oil
1 pound linguine pasta
4 tablespoons heavy cream
1 tablespoon butter

Instructions

Rinse the watercress and remove as many of you can of the thick stems.
In a food processor, add the watercress, garlic, parmesan cheese, and pine nuts and chop until it becomes a puree. Slowly add the olive oil while the motor is running the food processor. You should have a creamy-thick green sauce
Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a large, salted pot and cook it to al dente, a couple of minutes before recommended manufacturer cooking time.
Save 1 cup of the cooking water. Drain the pasta and put it back into the cooking pot.
Add the butter and heavy cream. Mix well and once the butter is melted, add some of the watercress pesto. Mix well and serve on a pasta plate.
Add a spoonful of watercress pesto to each dish and top with parmesan cheese shavings.

Equipment

Notes

Wash the watercress very well. Watercress can hide small specks of dirt on its stems and leaves. I always rinse it a couple of times in plenty of cold water before using it.

Go easy on the garlic. One small clove is plenty. Watercress has a wonderful peppery flavor, and too much garlic will overpower it rather than complement it.

Do not overcook your pasta. Keep your linguine al dente so it has a little bite and can hold up beautifully to the creamy pesto sauce.

Always save some pasta water. Before draining your linguine, reserve about one cup. The starchy water is perfect for loosening the pesto if the pasta becomes too thick or dry.

Do not skip the cream. Just a small amount softens the peppery bite of the watercress and gives the sauce that lovely silky texture.

Reserve a little pesto for serving. I like to set aside a couple of spoonfuls and add them at the end. It gives the finished pasta an extra burst of fresh watercress flavor.

Finish with freshly shaved Parmesan. Those salty little ribbons of cheese are the perfect finishing touch against the fresh, peppery pesto.

Nutrition

Giangi's Kitchen provides nutritional information, but these figures should be considered estimates, as a registered dietician does not calculate them.