Valentine’s Day is right around the corner and we wanted to share a few of our favorites if you’re choosing a date night at home. The hubby’s choice for date night! Delicious, slightly decadent, creamy and easy to pull together. This plays big and will be a hit for your date!
Bucatini in Pistachio Cream Sauce
Servings: 2 servings
Ingredients
- ½ cup shelled raw pistachios
- 8 oz bucatini gluten free if desired
- 3 cloves of garlic
- ¾ cup heavy cream
- 3 Tbsp unsalted butter cubed
- 2 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
- Zest and juice of 1 lemon
- Olive oil
- Kosher salt
- Black pepper
Instructions
- Fill a large stockpot three-fourths full with water and salt generously. Bring to a boil. While water is heating, make the sauce.
- In a medium skillet, heat pistachios over medium heat. Move nuts around often to ensure they don’t burn. Cook for 3-4 minutes or until lightly browned – you should start to smell the nuttiness once they are ready to go. Roughly chop ¼ of the pistachios and set aside for serving.
- Combine remaining pistachios, garlic, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper, and lemon juice in a food processor. Do not blend yet. In the same skillet used to toast nuts, make brown butter by heating butter over high heat. It should quickly melt, then get foamy and start to brown. Stir occasionally and watch carefully so it doesn’t burn. Once butter is slightly browned and smells nutty, immediately add to food processor with other ingredients. Pulse to break up nuts, then blend until well combined and no large pieces of nuts remain. While blending, stream in a few tablespoons of olive oil to help loosen consistency.
- Once water is boiling, add noodles and stir as they soften to prevent sticking. Cook according to package instructions.
- While noodles are cooking, transfer pistachio mixture to a large high sided skillet or Dutch oven along with the cream. Heat over medium, whisking frequently as it heats up to make a creamy sauce. Once sauce is smooth, turn off heat. If sauce becomes too thick, whisk in a few tablespoons of pasta water.
- Use tongs to transfer cooked pasta from the water to the sauce, bringing a little pasta water along with it. Gently toss to combine pasta and sauce. Stir in Parmesan and a few tablespoons of extra pasta water if necessary, to loosen sauce.
- Top plated pasta with reserved chopped pistachios and lemon zest.
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