citrus & pistachio pesto

plus, a little spring round-up

Today I’m taking some R&R after an especially busy few weeks, so instead of our usual programming, I thought I’d share one of my favorite sauces from my cookbook, Pasta Every Day: a very delicious, very refreshing citrus & pistachio pesto. The recipe is based on pesto agli agrumi, one of many excellent and underrated pestos from Sicily, in which juicy orange and lemon segments are blitzed with basil and almonds—I, of course, couldn’t resist mixing things up and swapped the almonds for pine nuts and pistachios for sweetness and color. I usually serve this sauce with fettuccine (fresh or dried), but any delicate long noodle would work well, or any noodle at all really. This pesto also pairs particularly well with seafood and a glass of white wine al fresco; any leftovers can, as always, be slathered on bread.

And if you’re looking for more citrusy, springy pasta inspiration, here are some of my favorites from the archive:

• Avocado Pasta Salad with Butter Beans & Basil

• Basil & Burrata Ravioli

• Cacio e Pepe-Style Gnocchi

• Caramelized Leek Pasta

• Green Tomato Pasta

• Late-Night Lemon Pasta

• Lemon Water Pasta with Ricotta & Zucchini

• Mandilli de Saea (Silk Handkerchiefs) with Pea Pesto

• Paglia e Fieno (Green & Yellow Tagliatelle) with Lamb, Peas & Mint Salsa Verde

• Pasta with Citrus, Cognac & Mint

• Pesto Lasagne (Lasagne alla Portofino)

• Spinach & Artichoke Cannelloni

See you next week with a brand new recipe to mark my 35th birthday!

—Meryl

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Photo: Nico Schinco; Food Styling: Judy Kim; Prop Styling: Maeve Sheridan

Citrus & Pistachio Pesto

Serves 4, with leftovers; makes about 1½ cups (350 grams)

1 navel orange
1 lemon
2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
2 tablespoons (20 grams) capers in brine, drained
2 tablespoons (20 grams) pine nuts
⅓ cup (50 grams) shelled raw or lightly salted pistachios
2 cups (45 grams) fresh basil leaves
1 ounce (30 grams) finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
¼ cup (60 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt

Pop your food processor blade in the freezer while you prepare the ingredients. This will help prevent the basil from discoloring.

Prepare the citrus: Grate the zests of the orange and lemon into a medium bowl. Cut the ends off both fruits so they stand upright, then cut away the peel and the white pith. Using a sharp knife, segment the orange by cutting between the segment walls—catch any juice on your cutting board and remove any seeds. Repeat with half of the lemon (save the rest for another use). Add the segments and juice to the bowl. Stir in the garlic and capers and let marinate for 15 minutes.

Make the pesto: Add the nuts to the bowl of the food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped. Add the basil and citrus mixture. Pulse in short bursts, no more than a couple seconds at a time, until well combined but still with some texture. Transfer to a bowl and fold in the cheese, then slowly stream in the oil, mixing constantly, until creamy. Season to taste with salt.

To serve: Cook your pasta of choice to your liking and transfer it directly to a large, heatproof (preferably metal) mixing bowl (if draining, reserve 1 cup (240 ml) pasta cooking water). Spoon most of the pesto over the pasta and toss well until luscious and creamy. Add more pesto and loosen with cooking water as needed until the pasta is well coated. Divide among bowls and serve, topped with more cheese if you’d like. Reserve any remaining pesto for another use.

Reprinted, with permission, from Pasta Every Day: Make It, Shape It, Sauce It, Eat It by Meryl Feinstein (Voracious, 2023)