Serves 2 to 3
“In summer when I have lots of basil in my garden I make this spaghetti recipe. I boil water to cook the pasta and, at the same time, put the leaves of basil into a sieve to submerge them directly in the boiling water to blanch them. Then everything goes into a food processor to make a pesto. If you have plenty of basil leaves you can blanch, refresh and blend some of the basil ahead of making the pesto, to wrap and freeze as little packages. This will give you a taste of summer in the cold winter months.” —Jacques Pépin
Ingredients:
8 ounces spaghetti
4 to 5 cups basil leaves
Salt
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
½ jalapeño, minced
1/3 cup nuts or pumpkin seed, pine nuts, hazelnuts, walnuts
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
½ cup pasta water
Additional extra virgin olive oil, for garnish
Additional Parmesan cheese, for garnish
Method:
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the spaghetti and cook according to package instructions. Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of the cooking water.
As the pasta cooks, put the basil leaves into a wire strainer and blanch them by dunking the strainer into the boiling pasta water until they wilt, about 30 seconds. Immediately immerse the hot basil in an ice bath to refresh. Drain and press dry.
In the jar of a blender, combine the basil, olive oil, salt, ¼ cup of the reserved pasta water, jalapeño, pumpkin seed or nuts and Parmesan and blend until smooth. Scrape the pesto into a large glass bowl. Using half a cup of the reserved pasta water, rinse out the jar and add to the bowl; taste and adjust the seasoning, if the mixture is too thick, add a little more of the pasta water. Add the spaghetti and toss well. Garnish with additional extra virgin oil and cheese. Let sit for 5 minutes before serving.