Spaghetti with pistachio & oregano pesto & fresh rocket

Method

In the food processor, blitz the shelled pistachios until they are coarsely ground. Add the parmesan, lemon juice, garlic cloves, a good few twists of your black pepper mill and the oregano and blitz again briefly until they come together in a bit of a paste, add about ½ of the olive oil and blitz for 5 seconds, add the rest of the olive oil in batches until you have your desired pesto consistency. I prefer mine a bit more runny so I tend to add it all- suit your own taste here.

For the Pasta:

100g of spaghetti per person

1 small handful of fresh rocket per person

Cook your spaghetti to the instructions on the package, leaving it a bit undercooked as it will cook furtherwith the sauce. Drain the pasta, reserving approx. 200ml of the cooking liquid. Place the linguini, together with the reserved cooking liquor back in the pan and back on the heat. Add about 2 tbsp of pesto for each serving. Use your tongs to coat the pasta with the pestoand then add the rocket and toss so that it wilts slightly but still has a bit of crunch. Serve with billows of freshly grated parmesan and ground pepper topping your mountain of pasta.

Ingredients

For the pesto:

• 150 g shelled roasted & salted pistachios

• 30 g grated parmesan

• Juice of ½ a lemon

• 2 garlic cloves

• Ground black pepper

• 5 stalks of fresh oregano (or basil) leaves removed

• 200 ml Olive oil