Peppery arugula makes a fast pesto with walnuts and lemon, loosened by pasta water.
Times are estimates; follow the doneness cues in the method. Quantities refer to harvested food, never planting seeds.
Ingredients
- 80 g arugula, washed and dried
- 320 g dry pasta
- 40 g walnuts
- 40 g Parmesan, grated
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 small garlic clove
- 1/4 tsp salt
Method
- Cook pasta according to package. Reserve 150 ml cooking water.
- Pulse arugula, walnuts, Parmesan, oil, lemon, garlic and salt into a coarse pesto.
- Off heat, toss pasta with pesto and enough cooking water to coat loosely.
Storage
Cool cooked food promptly in shallow containers and refrigerate within 2 hours at 4°C or colder. Use within 2–3 days, or freeze promptly where texture allows. Refrigerate raw prepared salads and dairy sauces promptly; dress salads just before serving. Reheat cooked leftovers to 74°C.
This is not a shelf-stable preserve or a tested canning recipe. Keep sauces, pesto and vegetables with oil refrigerated; do not store them at room temperature.
Grow the main ingredient
Start with the named variety in the Casa Verde seed shop. Growing time, harvest size and flavour depend on your conditions; this recipe uses the harvested crop.
Other harvests to try
Choose similar tenderness and prepared weight; adjust cooking to the cut size. Colour and flavour will change. For peppers, check heat first: hotter varieties are not a gram-for-gram swap.
What to cook next
Original recipe developed with AI assistance; not yet kitchen-tested. The image is an AI-generated serving illustration.
