Walnut & Pine Nut Cream Sauce Pasta

Pasta Sauce

I first became aware of this type of pasta sauce thanks to the Facebook post of my foodie SBFF and fellow food porner, +Rocky Esguerra.  This sauce has become a staple in our home, especially during summer when I can just harvest parsley from our mini-herb garden.

1. Roast the walnuts first on a hot pan because they take longer than the pine nuts. After a minute, you can add the pine nuts. Toss or mix constantly so the nuts won't burn. When you smell the nutty flavour emanating, that's it! For 4 people with BIG appetites, I roast about 3 cups of nuts, 2 1/2 cups of walnuts and 1/2 cup pine nuts.

2. Cool a little then plonk in the food processor. Add 8 - 10 cloves of smashed garlic, 2 - 3 T of lemon juice, we love anchovy so I use a whole small jar or a whole tin. Depending on the amount of anchovy you used, add salt & pepper. To add more heat, I also add tabasco and some chilli flakes.

3. Start pulse processing, scraping sides to ensure everything gets processed and slowly drizzle in olive oil.

4. We like the nuts still a little chunky while some families prefer really fine consistency. It really is up to you. I think I use over a cup of EVO to achieve the creamy consistency.

5. Toss sauce in hot pasta noodles. Scatter over it: parmesan cheese (grated or shaved) + torn prosciutto + roughly chopped parsley right before serving.

I usually prepare the sauce beforehand and store it in a glass/pyrex container and refrigerate. Microwave before tossing with your newly cooked & drained pasta noodles. We prefer linguini for this type of creamy sauce.

We were still residing in Taipei so finding good prosciutto was a struggle.  This version just had parsley and coarsely grated parmesan.  On the side are Tuna Croquettes.

Now that we live in a country where cured meat abound, we can be liberal with our prosciutto topping.  Yey!!