Spaghetti with Walnut Sauce

Spaghettis Sauce aux Noix

Serves 6

Spaghetti with Walnut
Sauce 2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 pound dried spaghetti
2 cloves garlic, peeled
3/4 cup walnut pieces
1-3/4 cups parsley leaves, firmly packed
(see Note)
1-3/4 cup olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 tomato, for garnish (optional)

1. In a large pot, bring approximately 4 quarts of water to a boil and add the 2 teaspoons salt and 1 tablespoon vegetable oil. Add the spaghetti slowly, allowing the water to continue boiling all the time. Cook until noodles are tender, about 10 minutes for dried spaghetti.

2. In the bowl of a food processor, chop and blend the garlic, walnuts, and 1-1/2 cups parsley, reserving 1/4 cup of parsley for the garnish. with the motor on, pour the olive oil slowly into the sauce. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and blend again for a moment. Leave sauce in the food processor.

3. Coarsely chop the reserved 1/4 cup parsley. If you are using a tomato for garnish, core and dice it. Set aside.

4. Drain the spaghetti, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking water.

5. Place a mound of spaghetti on each plate, creating a small indentation in the middle for the sauce. Now check the consistency of the sauce. If it seems too dry, add 1 tablespoon of the cooking water at a time and blend. The sauce should be dry enough to hold its form as a mound in the middle of the plate, but moist enough to coat the spaghetti when tossed.

6. Place a portion of sauce in the indentation on each mound of spaghetti. Sprinkle each dish with Parmesan cheese, chopped parsley, and diced tomato.

Note: This recipe can be made Italian style by substituting fresh basil for parsley, but parsley is more traditional to southwest France and is a better companion for the walnuts, allowing them to dominate the flavor of the sauce.

From:
The Walnut Cookbook
By Jean-Luc Touissant
Translation by Michael Hinden & Betsy Draine
Ten Speed Press
192 pages
Paperback, $14.95
ISBN: 0-89815-948-2
Recipe Reprinted by permission.