This recipe is VERY LOOSELY adapted from a recipe by Heidi Swanson over at 101 Cookbooks. I tweaked it lots. It called for parmesan cheese, which you can add and I am sure it will be delicious, but we don't get cheesy over here. So I did my usual mix of this and that to make something that is delicious. The reviews for the original recipe said that while many folks liked the simplicity of it, they found that it lacked interest, flavour etc. But, I thought there was something there that could be worked with. So I came up with this creamy, tasty, walnut pasta dish, that paired with this fennel salad is quick enough to whip together for a weeknight meal.

Ingredients

  • 1 cups toasted walnuts, I placed mine on a baking sheet in a 350°F oven for ten minutes, then let them cool
  • 250g dried pasta (a short shape), (about half a bag?) plus salt for the water
  • 1 cup pasta water reserved after it's cooked 
  • 2 TBSP olive oil
  • Fresh herbs such as oregano, sage and thyme
  • 2 TBSP nutritional yeast
  • 1 tsp sumac (optional)
  • Juice and zest of 1 lemon
  • About 1/2 tsp sea salt or to taste , the reserved pasta water that you will use is already salted, so take note of that.
  • Lots of freshly ground black pepper
  • To serve: fresh herbs

Directions

  1. While you’re bringing a large pot of salted water to a boil, pulse the walnuts in a food processor, but leave a bit of texture and chunkiness. You can also do this with a mortar and pestle.
  2. Cook the pasta per package instructions in the boiling water. Once the pasta is in the pot, and the pasta water is nice and starchy, reserve 1 cups of the pasta water.
  3. In a small frying pan, add the 2 TBSP of olive oil and once hot, add the garlic and cook for just a minute, add the herbs and turn off the stove while still stirring to get the flavours to release in the oil. Leave to sit while you do step 4.
  4. Whisk a cup of the pasta water into the ground walnut mixture, adding more until your sauce is as thick as heavy cream. You’ll likely need about 1/2 – 3/4 cups of pasta water, maybe a splash more. (Reserve the remainder, as you might want to add more to it later especially if you will be reheating leftovers.) Stir in the nutritional yeast, the sautéed garlic and herb mixture, the sumac (if using,) a couple tablespoons of lemon juice, and more freshly ground black pepper than you think you’d want. Taste and add a bit more salt to the sauce if needed. 
  5. Transfer the cooked pasta to a large bowl and toss with the walnut sauce. Sprinkle with lemon zest and top with some fresh herbs if you have them.
  6. Serves two, with maybe some leftovers.