Pasta with Guanciale and Wild Garlic and Hazelnut Pesto by Barry Horne
Serves 4
Ingredients:
1 pack of Liguori Trecce pasta (any pasta shape is good)
100g wild garlic
25g parmesan cheese grated
60g toasted hazelnuts
150ml good olive oil
50g guanciale (finely diced)
1 lemon
Salt
Method:
To make the pesto use a large pestle and mortar or a blender. If using the pestle and mortar add the wild garlic with a good pinch of sea salt and start to break down. Add the hazelnuts and break up, grate in the cheese and mix well. Then slowly add the olive oil and keep bashing together to make a fine paste, season with salt if needed and add a good squeeze of lemon. If using a blender just add everything into the blender and blend until smooth.
When your pesto is made, get a large pan of water on the boil and season well with salt.
When boiling add the pasta and cook until al-dente.
While the pasta is cooking, add the finely diced guanciale or pancetta to a frying pan and turn on the heat to medium high heat. It's best to start it in a cold pan as this will help render the fat, cook for 7-8 mins when the pasta is cooked, save a cup of the water and add the pasta to the frying pan, add a good amount of the pesto and add some of the pasta cooking water, toss together adding more water if needed.
Serve with a nice grating of the parmesan.