Pine Nuts Meet Carbs: Lemon-Basil Mafalda Corta

Although my Instagram bio states 'new recipes weekly' above a link to this blog, well...not so much lately, huh? Work has been so chaotic and I love creating a million side projects for myself on the daily, leaving little time to my existing projects such as this website. To my newest subscribers (I saw you this week, welcome!), I say sorry, enjoy the 120+ past articles for now and know that I am working on becoming more consistent with my photography on all my platforms (ahem, and two new ones to come).

I am very excited for the coming year and the 10 extra projects I have started investing time and energy in (only once Ella is asleep), but before I bore you with *PrEvIeWs* you never asked for, let's talk pine nuts, shall we?

Although incredibly, outrageously expensive (are they prospected in gold mines what is this), pine nuts are still in my top favourite nuts to cook with: they add a smooth texture and turn a simple recipe's flavour palette into an intricate-sounding one (they just sound impressive, okay?). Paired with fresh herbs and cheese, ahhh. Well you can't go wrong, simply put. So let's get into today's recipe. Photos were shot with my brand new Sony a6000- she's a la-dy (I just want you to sing the entire song in your head right now, that's how I feel about Her).

You will need,

Pine nuts (3/4 cup)

Lemon juice (1 lemon's worth)

Lemon zest (1 lemon's worth)

Basil (a bunch)

Parsley (a generous handful)

Olive oil (1/4 cup)

French shallot (1, minced)

Pecorino cheese (1/2 cup)

Sea salt (a pinch)

Black pepper (for taste)

Mafalda corta (around 250g)

A side idea: I sliced some village bread that was becoming stale and I drizzled the crostini-sized portions with olive oil, sea salt and garlic, then popped in the oven at 400 degrees until lightly golden and crispy- only a couple of minutes! Adds crunch and that Italian restaurant vibe we all want our kitchens to have.

A few simple steps,

1. In a small to medium skillet, toss pine nuts with drizzle of oil over medium heat. They will start looking toasted after 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat.

2. In a medium-size bowl, combine all chopped herbs, cheese, lemon zest, lemon juice, shallots and olive oil. Add salt and pepper and mix well.

3. Bring a pot of salt water to boil and cook pasta according to package instructions. Drain. Rinse the pot with cold water and transfer the pasta back in.

4. Add sauce and mix thoroughly. Add olive oil to stretch the sauce if necessary (I tend to overdo the starch- hey, we can't have it all).

5. For the the grilled bread: slice in 2-inch sticks, drizzle olive oil and minced garlic and pop in the oven at 400 degrees until golden (I check every couple of minutes, this step is extra fast!).

6. Serve in bowls (paired with a glass white if needed). Enjoy!