10976 Fusilli with Parsley, Walnut, and Black Olive Pesto 30 mins 10 mins 4 servings Fri Oct 19 04:24:00 -0700 2007 Fri Mar 20 17:02:26 -0700 2009 Easy Cal-Med CHOW http://www.chow.com/recipes/10976 Sat, 21 Mar 2009 00:02:26 GMT Hearty and herby with a zing of goat cheese Hearty whole-wheat pasta with a zing that comes from goat cheese. Sometimes tradition needs a little shaking up, so in this dish we’ve combined parsley, black olives, walnuts, and goat cheese (ingredients more common in French cooking than Italian) to make a quick and tangy variation of classic pesto. Whole-wheat fusilli adds heartiness and a little fiber.

What to buy: Whole-wheat pasta lends a nutty undertone to this dish, but you could also use the more common egg pasta.

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  • Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil over high heat. Place parsley, walnuts, chèvre, olives, pepper, and a generous pinch of salt in a food processor. Pulse until ingredients are coarsely chopped and mixed together. With the machine running, slowly add the oil in a thin stream.
  • Cook pasta according to the package directions. Reserve 1/4 cup of the pasta water before draining in a colander; immediately return pasta to the empty pot.
  • Add pesto and toss to combine. Stir in the reserved pasta water to create a creamier sauce. Taste and, if necessary, adjust seasoning; serve immediately.

    • Beverage pairing: Lustau Puerto Fino Sherry, Spain. When you try to think of wine that is both nutty and redolent of olives, there’s only one that should come to mind: fino sherry. It goes with everything pungent and salty, but also has a beautiful affinity for toasted nuts. Drink chilled in small amounts, as it’s stronger than most wines.

    ]]>     http://www.chow.com/assets/2009/02/walnutpesto290.jpg Regan Burns 84 Pasta/Noodles 203 2 1/2 cups lightly packed fresh Italian parsley leaves (about 1 large bunch)

    ]]>     1/2 cup toasted walnuts

    ]]>     1/2 cup (about 4 ounces) chèvre (fresh goat cheese)

    ]]>     1/4 cup coarsely chopped pitted black olives, such as kalamata

    ]]>     305 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

    ]]>     1/3 cup olive oil

    ]]>     1 pound dried whole-wheat fusilli

    ]]>     21 main 2393 regan burns 804 simple 1046 cold weather 1021 comfort 1031 cozy 686 creamy 256 cheese 435 vegetarian 4103 chèvre 4103 chèvre 1 chow 261 nuts 8047 light lunch 635 dinner 752 euro 1619 omnivore 183 pasta 18447 pasta chart 23680 affordable 38 budget 751 elegant 680 impressive 364 goat cheese