Fresh Pasta with Mint Pesto and Burrata
Thomas J. Story
Chef Josh Buckwald of Employees Only in Los Angeles created this verdant dish enriched by creamy burrata. “We love campanelle, cavatelli, or corzetti for this one,” he says, “But no wrong answers here.”
How to Make It
1
Preheat your oven to 325°F. Place nuts on a sheet pan and bake 5–10 minutes. The timing will be a little different for each, but as a rule of thumb, when the smell of toasted nuts starts to take over the kitchen, they’re done. Remove and set aside to cool.
2
Roughly chop the mint, basil, and spinach, and add to a food processor or blender.
3
Add the garlic, shallot, olive oil, nuts, lemon juice, ice cubes, and salt to the processor and blend on high until everything is incorporated. If you’re having trouble getting the pesto to blend, add a little more olive oil and a splash of cold water. Set aside.
4
Set a large pot of water to boil and salt like the ocean. Cook the pasta until al dente. If you’re using fresh pasta, this will happen fast, about 2–3 minutes.
5
In a large mixing bowl, off heat, mix the pasta with the pesto. Add a splash of the starchy pasta water and some olive oil to make the sauce creamy and delicious.
6
Plate the pasta into bowls and top with any extra bits of sauce, as well as a scoop of burrata, a few cranks of black pepper pepper, and a drizzle of olive oil.
Ingredients
1 handful of your favorite nuts: Walnuts, pecans, pistachios, or pine nuts all work really well here
1 large bunch mint, stems removed
1 large bunch basil, stems removed
¼ lb fresh spinach
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 shallot, chopped
⅓ cup cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus a little more to finish
1 Meyer lemon, juiced
2 ice cubes
large pinch kosher salt
1 lb fresh pasta such as cavatelli
1 ball of burrata
black pepper to taste
Directions
1
Preheat your oven to 325°F. Place nuts on a sheet pan and bake 5–10 minutes. The timing will be a little different for each, but as a rule of thumb, when the smell of toasted nuts starts to take over the kitchen, they’re done. Remove and set aside to cool.
2
Roughly chop the mint, basil, and spinach, and add to a food processor or blender.
3
Add the garlic, shallot, olive oil, nuts, lemon juice, ice cubes, and salt to the processor and blend on high until everything is incorporated. If you’re having trouble getting the pesto to blend, add a little more olive oil and a splash of cold water. Set aside.
4
Set a large pot of water to boil and salt like the ocean. Cook the pasta until al dente. If you’re using fresh pasta, this will happen fast, about 2–3 minutes.
5
In a large mixing bowl, off heat, mix the pasta with the pesto. Add a splash of the starchy pasta water and some olive oil to make the sauce creamy and delicious.
6
Plate the pasta into bowls and top with any extra bits of sauce, as well as a scoop of burrata, a few cranks of black pepper pepper, and a drizzle of olive oil.
