Recipe: Fettuccine with Walnut Pesto

Walnut ricotta pesto is a variation on the more well-known sauce, pesto, made from fresh basil.

To retain its fresh flavors, the pesto is not cooked; instead, it is warmed by tossing it with hot pasta. This recipe is from "Lidia Cooks From the Heart of Italy: A Feast of 175 Regional Recipes" by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich.

The pesto is from the region of Emilia-Romagna, home to the city of Bologna and the famous products of Parmigiano-Reggiano and prosciutto di Parma. Though Bastianich calls for freshly made tagliatelle with this sauce, you can use dried fettuccine.

Fettuccine with Walnut Pesto

Makes 6 servings

2 cups walnut halves or pieces, toasted

2 cloves garlic

1 1/2 cups ricotta, preferably fresh, drained

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons freshly grated grana padano or Parmesan, plus more for passing

3 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley

1 teaspoon coarse salt

Freshly ground pepper

1 pound fettuccine

3 tablespoons butter, softened

1. Heat a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, put the walnuts and garlic in a food processor; pulse until the nuts are chopped into tiny bits (but don't grind them to a powder). Scrape the mixture into a large bowl; stir in the ricotta, oil, grated cheese, parsley, salt and pepper to taste until blended.

2. Cook the pasta in the boiling water until al dente, about 12 minutes; drain, reserving some of the cooking water. Drop pasta into the bowl with the pesto; dot pasta with dollops of the butter. Toss until pasta is coated with the pesto; if it is too thick, loosen it with a bit of the reserved pasta water as you toss. Serve in warm bowls, passing more grated cheese.

Adapted from "Lidia Cooks from the Heart of Italy."

Nutrition information

Per serving: 851 calories, 57 percent of calories from fat, 55 g fat, 13 g saturated fat, 51 mg cholesterol, 64 g carbohydrates, 30 g protein, 453 mg sodium, 6 g fiber