Strascinati fresh pasta with pistachios pesto and bacon

• 10 minutes to prepare • 10 minutes to cook • Serves 4

 

10 MINUTES 

Pistachio is a fruit with a thin, small-size shell and a light-green, irresistible core. It grows on a semi-wild shrub and, although native of Syria and Mesopotamia, it is nowadays spread throughout the Mediterranean.
This dried fruit is a very versatile ingredient: it can be consumed both as salty appetizer and as protagonist of sweet recipes. (Have you already tried the pistachio-cream and sweetened ricotta tart? If not, you can find the recipe here.) My love for pistachios is total: I love cracking them open; I love their varying colors of green and purple. Most of all, I love their sweet, buttery taste.

Today we will use along with bacon and fresh Strascinati pasta to make a delicious first course recipe. We will be ready in 10 minutes, just follow the instructions below and...buon appetito!

Here's what you will need for the 4-serving recipe:

400 g Strascinati fresh pasta
50 g grated Parmesan cheese
50 ml milk
100 g bacon
1 shallot
100 g shelled pistachios
salt and pepper
EVO oil

1. Boil water in a pot, add salt and once started to bubble, pick up a ladle of water and keep aside
2. In a pan pour 1 tablespoon of EVO oil, add a finely chopped shallot with a pinch of salt and pan-fry for a couple of minutes
3. Cut the bacon into small cubes and add it to the shallot. Make it toast over medium heat until the bacon becomes golden
4. Keep one fistful of pistachios aside and place the rest in a blender. Add 4 tablespoons of EVO oil, the Parmesan cheese, a pinch of salt and blend to obtain a granular pistachios pesto
5. Boil Strascinati fresh pasta in salted water. Follow the time instructions reported on the package: usually fresh pasta is ready in about 5 minutes
   
6. Meanwhile, combine the pistachios pesto with bacon in the pan. Add the milk and the hot water (kept aside from the pasta) and cook over medium heat until it thickens a bit
   
7. Drain pasta al dente and stir it for a few moments with pistachios pesto and bacon. Serve hot with some pistachios and freshly ground pepper on top

In the following, Nutrition Facts of this dish are indicated. Data is provided per serving.

PRO TIP: pry open the pistachios that haven't opened all the way with the shell of the pistachio you just ate!