Toasted Pistachio and Herb Pasta

Summer pasta is a favorite for lots of reasons, and this Toasted Pistachio and Herb pasta is no exception. It can be served at room temp and goes with practically everything. The sauce is infused with savory summer herbs, creamy whipped burrata, ricotta and cream cheese then topped with freshly toasted pistachios and ground pepper, perfect!

Ingredients

Whipped Burrata

Burrata – 4 oz (1 ball of cheese)

Ricotta – ½ cup

Cream cheese (optional) – 4 TBSP

(All cheeses must have at least lost the chill before whipping)

Whip the three cheeses until lighter and well combined either with a hand whisk or with an electric hand mixer or a stand mixer with the whisk attached. Reserve.

Herb Pasta

Spaghetti – 8 oz.

Fine sea salt – 1 TBSP + a few pinches

Raw pistachios – ¼ to ⅓ cup

Fresh thyme sprigs – 12

Olive oil – 2 TBSP

Capers – 1 TBSP

Organic chicken stock – 2 cups

Freshly squeezed lemon juice – about 3 TBSP, divided (juice of 1 large lemon)

Rosemary sprigs – 4

Tarragon springs – 3

Basil stems – 5

Butter – 3 TBSP

Asiago cheese, grated – ½+ cup, divided + more to serve

Some of the pasta water for making the sauce

Freshly ground black pepper to serve

Sautéed Shrimp (optional)

Large prawns, thawed and cut transversally (if desired) – 8 to 10 pieces

Fine sea salt – ⅛ Tsp plus a pinch

Paprika – ¼ Tsp

Chili powder – ¼ Tsp or less

Garlic powder – ⅛ Tsp

Extra virgin olive oil – 1 TBSP

A bit of freshly squeezed lemon juice

Steps

For making the pasta:

Start by making your pasta according to instructions. For this amount of pasta I boil 5 cups of water in a large deep pot and when rapidly boiling sprinkle one tablespoon of fine sea salt, then stir to dissolve it. I added the pasta and cooked it for 10 minutes.. Remember to move the pasta around every few minutes to prevent it from sticking.

While the pasta is cooking, heat a nonstick large skillet on medium-high heat. Toss the pistachios, the leaves of 2 sprigs of thyme and a pinch of salt until nuts are fragrant and brownish, about 3 minutes. Remember to toss the nuts to prevent them from burning. Transfer nuts from skillet and reserve.

Immediately pour in the olive oil and add the capers. Sauté for 1 minute, moving constantly. Pour chicken stock, half of the lemon juice and transfer 4 cooking spoons of the pasta water to the skillet. Submerge five sprigs of the thyme, rosemary, tarragon and 2 stems of the basil. Decrease heat to medium.

In the meantime, finely chop your pistachios.

When pasta is about to reach its cooking time, remove all herbs and add 2 tablespoons of the butter and add ¼ cup of the Asiago cheese. Move until cheese starts melting. Using a whitefly spoon (spaghetti cooking spoon) transfer spaghetti to skillet and using kitchen thongs toss spaghetti with sauce. Add the remaining butter, lemon juice and cheese and toss once more. Cook for about two minutes, tossing every few seconds to prevent pasta form sticking to the bottom of the skillet. Liquid should be bubbly but not boiling heavily. If so, decrease the heat just a little bit.

Remove from heat and incorporate the capers and almost all of the chopped pistachios, tossing once more to combine. Scrap leaves from remaining thyme sprigs (see notes above) and chop remaining basil leaves and toss once more.

Spread a spoonful of the whipped burrata mixture on the plate. Then serve some of the spaghetti on top, sprinkling the remaining chopped pistachios and freshly ground black pepper. Add more grated Asiago cheese and more chopped fresh basil leaves or thyme leaves if desired.

For making the shrimp:

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl.

Heat a small or medium skillet over medium-high heat. Place shrimps and cook for a bit more than one minute per side, splashing with the lemon juice when turning them over. They should be a bit burnt around the edges. Remove from heat and serve over pasta.