Sun-Dried Tomato, Olive and Walnut Pasta
This was one of those ‘What’s in my fridge?’ pastas where I spotted a lingering jar of sun-dried tomatoes along with a jar of green olives. In addition, I happened to have had a massive bag of walnuts in the pantry (this is what happens when you shop online and don’t pay attention to sizes and buy a 3 pound bag). Bringing these flavor and texture bombs together creates a bit of ‘no big deal’ magic—a hit of fresh parsley and the lift of lemon—along with a healthy dose of pecorino cheese—make this a go-to for any night of the week as it all comes together in the time it takes to cook the pasta. To make it more substantial fold in some good quality jarred or tinned tuna even cooked and crumbled sausage.
Serves 4 to 6
INGREDIENTS
1 pound dry pasta (such as orecchiette)
One 10-ounce jar sun-dried tomatoes, including oil (about 1 cup)
One 10 ounce jar pitted green olives, drained (about 1 cup)
1 cup toasted walnuts
1 cup flat leaf parsley
1 lemon, zested, plus the juice of half the lemon
2 teaspoons anchovy paste
1 cup freshly grated pecorino, plus more for serving
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
METHOD
Cook the pasta in well-salted water according to package instructions. Reserve 1 cup of pasta cooking liquid.
Meanwhile, to a food processor, add sun-dried tomatoes and its oil, olives, walnuts, parsley, lemon zest and juice and anchovy paste. Season with salt and pepper. Pulse until the mixture becomes chunky.
Drain the pasta and return it to the pot. Add the sauce, pecorino and half the pasta cooking liquid. Stir to combine, until a glossy sauce starts to coat the pasta—then add the rest of the pasta water and continue to mix.
Serve immediately with more pecorino alongside.
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