Ingredients:
- 2 jalapeño peppers, destemmed, deseeded, and diced
- 6 ounces (1/2 cup) Wonderful Pistachios No Shell Lightly Salted
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1 bunch (about 1 oz.) flat-leaf parsley, divided
- Zest and juice from 1 lemon
- Zest and juice from 1 lime
- 2.5 oz (1/2 cup) parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish
- 1 pound orecchiette pasta
- Flaky sea salt
- Pepper
Preparation:
Reserve a handful of pistachios and roughly chop. Set aside. Pour olive oil in a large skillet and add pistachios and jalapeños, stirring over medium-high heat until fragrant, about three minutes. Remove from heat and place mixture in a bowl. Set aside and let cool.
In a food processor or blender, place cooled pistachio mixture, 1/2 bunch of mint and 1/2 bunch of parsley (about 0.5 oz each), juice and zest from lemon and lime, and parmesan. Pulse until combined but still slightly chunky. Consistency should be thick and slightly creamy. If the mixture is too thick to blend, add a little more olive oil. Once mixture is ready, place in a bowl and set aside.
Meanwhile, fill a large pot with heavily salted water and place over high heat. When the water boils, add orecchiette and cook pasta until it floats to the surface, 3-5 minutes. Pasta should be soft, slightly chewy, and slightly al dente. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water and set aside. Strain pasta.
Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to a large skillet and place over medium heat. Add pasta and sautée for one minute. Add pesto and stir, adding reserved pasta water, a little at a time, until mixture coats pasta and has a creamy consistency. Sautée for one more minute and transfer to serving dish. Garnish with reserved herbs, chopped pistachios, parmesan, pepper, and flaky sea salt.
