How to prepare the real Italian recipe of Pasta with Rocket Pesto or “Orecchiette al Pesto di Rucola”
Rocket Pesto is a great alternative to the classic pesto sauce or “Pesto alla Genovese”. A scented seasoning thanks to the combination of rocket, pine-nuts, olive oil, Parmesan, and Pecorino cheese. It takes just a few minutes, perfect option for a last minute dinner with friends. A very simple dish that will surprise your guests, thanks to the bitter aftertaste of the rocket balanced with the pine nuts and cheese. Enjoy!
Ingredients for 4 people
- 150 grams of Rocket
- 320 grams of Orecchiette pasta or if you like Spaghetti pasta
- 70 grams of Pine nuts
- 50 grams of Grated Parmesan Cheese
- 50 grams of Grated Pecorino Cheese
- 1 clove of garlic ( remove it if you don’t like the strong garlic flavor or add just a little bit of it)
- 180 ml of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Preparation
- Wash the rocket, put it in a blender with Pine Nuts, Parmesan, Pecorino, Olive Oil, Garlic and blend it all. Add salt and pepper to flavor the mixture. The sauce is ready.
- If you are not using it right away, add it to a jar, with olive oil on top.
- Cook Pasta “al dente” as from instructions on package on salty boiling water in a large pot.
- Before draining the pasta, to make the sauce smooth, you can add to it a few tablespoons of cooking water it will make it a bit more liquid.
- Drain the pasta al dente and mix with the rocket sauce. Add Pine-nuts and parsley on top before serving. For the perfectionists: you can also include a couple of slices of baked potatoes on top for decoration.
TIP: To make your pesto even more creamy, you can put some cream cheese spoon, like cottage cheese or Philadelphia.
Posted by Nicoletta and Tiziana
The Real Italian Food. Buon Appetito!
