This is one of my go-to meals. I always have most of the ingredients on hand and Jake seems to never get tired of it. Feel free to throw in whatever inspires you like shaved Brussel sprout leaves or red bell peppers to spin it your way.
Ingredients:
-1/2 cup hazelnuts
-1 cup fresh parsley loosely chopped
-2 cups Castelvetrano olives ripped into rough pieces
-2 lemons zested and juiced
-1/2 cup avocado or good quality olive oil
-1 pound casarecce pasta
-4 garlic cloves
-1/4 cup caper berries
-1 tablespoon beet hot sauce
-Sea salt and pepper to taste
-Walnut parmesan for serving
Method:
Preheat your oven at 400°F and spread the hazelnuts on a baking sheet.
Toast until golden and fragrant, about 10 minutes.
Rub the hazelnuts against each other in a paper towel or a clean dish towel to remove as much skin as you can.
Place in a bowl and toss with enough oil to coat.
Add sea salt and pepper to taste.
In a different bowl, mix the parsley, olives, lemon zest, lemon juice, hot sauce and 1/2 cup of oil.
Bring a large pot of water with salt to a boil.
Add the pasta and cook until al dente.
Drain and reserve some of the cooking water.
Mince the garlic and caper berries together until extremely finely chopped.
In a large skillet, heat 1 to 2 tablespoons of oil over high heat and cook the garlic, caper berry mixture for about 1 minute.
Reduce the heat to low, add the pasta to the skillet and mix well.
Add the parsley mixture and half the hazelnuts and combine
Serve right away with the rest of the hazelnuts and a generous portion of walnut parmesan.
Voila! Castelvetrano olives and roasted hazelnut casarecce.
*Adapted from Athena Calderone
