Sicilian ricotta and pistachio pasta

Step 1

Put a pot of water onto boil for the pasta. Add salt once the water starts to boil andbring to the boil again.

Step 2

If your pistachios are unpeeled, put them into a bowl of boiling water for 2-3 minutes, drain them and wipe them with  a cloth to remove some of the skin covering them.

Step 3

Save a few pistachios and put the rest in a blender or food processor, add the grated cheese and 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Blend/pulse until you have a rough dense pesto. If necessary add more olive oil but as little as possible.

Step 4

Cream the ricotta in a food processor or with a fork. Put it in a large pan (big enough to hold the cooked pasta too)

Step 5

Cook the pasta al dente according to the instructions on the packet.

Step 6

Just before the pasta is ready, take half a cup of the cooking water and add to thericotta. Stir it in until you have a creamy sauce. Add salt to taste. Then addthe pistachio pesto and stir that in too until it’s totally incorporated in thesauce.

Step 7

Save a cup of the pasta cooking water and drain the pasta. Add it to the pan with thesauce. Add some of the saved pasta cooking water if the sauce seems dry (although it shouldn’t be).

Step 8

Mix the pasta and the sauce together well. Add ground black pepper. Serve immediately with a few whole pistachios and extra grated cheese if required.