The Best Pesto You’ll Ever Make

recipe by J.Q. Gagliastro

Ingredients

block of Parmigiana Reggiano

block of Pecorino Romano

a little squeeze of lemon juice (no more than 1/2 oz as you don’t want it tart)

a slice of lemon rind

fresh basil

fresh oregano

2 garlic cloves

pepper

red pepper flakes and/or peperoncino

half stick of unsalted butter

1 shallot or a half of white onion

3/4 cup Ricotta cheese

olive oil

1/4 cup roasted pistachios

1/4 cup pine nuts

1/2 cup tears of the gods (a.k.a. pasta water — pasta water is starchy so it helps emulsify the sauce)

Crumble Instructions

1) put the pine nuts and pistachios in a processor and process them until they’re crumbly

2) add half the block of Parmigiana Reggiano and half the Pecorino Romano and process

3) add the lemon rind and lemon juice, garlic cloves, basil, and oregano

4) set the crumble aside

Pasta Instructions

1) salt your water

2) boil the water

3) add your pasta of choice (preferably Oddlietti) and cook ‘til al dente

Sauce & Final Instructions

1) while your pasta is cooking, add butter, a chopped shallot, pepper, red pepper flakes, and olive oil to a pan

2) cook on high until the shallot is caramelized and browning

3) add 1/2 cup pasta water and mix

4) turn off

5) fold in the ricotta

6) once mixed, add the sauce into the crumble and mix thoroughly

7) drain your pasta and mix the pasta into the saucy crumble

8) e buon appetito 😋

J.Q. Gagliastro pasta recipe pesto pistachio crumble

this is what the crumble should look like