LUKE J ALBERT FOR THE SUNDAY TIMES MAGAZINE, PROP STYLING: AGATHE GITS, GETTY IMAGES
Roast garlic
and walnut
pesto spaghetti
with radicchioThis roasted garlic and walnut
pesto is a bit of a game-changer,
the sweetness of the roasted
allium balancing beautifully
with the toasted buttery
earthiness of the nuts. It makes
a lovely salsa for dressing the
spaghetti on its own if you
don’t have any radicchio, and
also works beautifully with kale
or cavolo nero. I’ve often added
a crumbling of creamy blue
cheese at the last minute, or
when I toss the pasta through
the pesto, but without it, this
recipe is vegan.Serves 2Ingredients- 70g walnuts
- ½ head of garlic, cloves
unpeeled - 4 tbsp olive oil, plus extra
- ½ tsp sea salt
- A couple of thyme sprigs,
leaves picked - A large handful of flat-leaf
parsley leaves, finely chopped - Zest and juice of ½ lemon
- 1 tbsp sherry vinegar
- ½ tbsp maple syrup
- 200g spaghetti
- ½ head of radicchio or
chicory, core removed, leaves
shredded (optional)
01 Heat the oven to 200C
(220C non-fan) and put the
walnuts in a small roasting dish.02 Spread out a double
layer of foil large enough
to encase the garlic. Put the
garlic cloves in the middle
of the foil, drizzling over half
the olive oil. Season with the
salt and nestle in the thyme
leaves, then wrap up in the
foil, sealing tightly. Roast for
35-45 min, until the cloves are
soft, sweet and squeeze easily
from their paper. For the last
8 min of the roasting time, put
the walnuts into the oven and
cook until toasted.03 While they’re still warm,
combine the walnuts, parsley
and lemon zest in a pestle
and mortar with a good
pinch of salt and crush to
a coarse paste.04 Add the roasted garlic
and combine, pouring over
the garlicky oil and the thyme
from the foil and stirring
that through too. Transfer to
a large bowl, season well with
black pepper and whisk in
the vinegar, maple syrup and
remaining 2 tbsp olive oil.
Taste and adjust the seasoning
accordingly, adding a little
more vinegar or salt if needed.05 Bring a large pan of
well-salted water to the boil
and cook the pasta until al
dente — about 6-7 min. While
it’s boiling, heat a little olive
oil in a frying pan over a high
heat and stir fry the radicchio
leaves until just pliable:
1-2 min, no more. Remove
from the heat and season
with the lemon juice.06 Transfer the hot pasta
into the salsa and loosen with
a splash of the pasta water.
Tangle through the radicchio,
tossing everything together
to combine n05 Pour over the saffron and
its water plus the cream, then
stir to combine. Taste the
sauce at this point and add
a pinch of salt or sugar if you
think it needs it. Once the
pasta is al dente, use a slotted
spoon to add it to the sauce,
along with half a cup of the
pasta water, stirring to loosen
the sauce. You may need to
add a splash more, depending
on how thick your sauce looks.
You want it glossy and lush.06 Let the pasta gently finish
off in the sauce for a minute,
then grate in a good, generous
handful of parmesan, stirring
to melt it into the sauce. Divide
between warm bowls and
top with the crispy black
pepper almonds.The Sunday Times Magazine • 43