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Pistou linguine

An average of 4.6 out of 5 stars from 11 ratings
Pistou linguine
Prepare
less than 30 mins
Cook
10 to 30 mins
Serve
Serves 4

Pistou is a classic provençal sauce made of basil, garlic and olive oil, similar to pesto but without the pine nuts and Parmesan. Mary's creamy, herby sauce is the perfect partner for pasta.

Ingredients

For the pistou

  • parsley: 4 tbsp roughly chopped flatleaf parsley
  • basil: 4 tbsp roughly chopped fresh basil
  • chives: 2 tbsp roughly snipped fresh chives
  • garlic: 2 garlic cloves, crushed
  • lemon: 1 lemon, juice only
  • crème fraîche: 200g/7oz full-fat crème fraîche
  • black pepper: salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the linguine

  • pasta: 300g/10½oz fine linguine pasta
  • butter: knob of butter
  • mushrooms: 500g/1lb 2oz chestnut mushrooms, sliced
  • Parmesan: 75²µ/2½´Ç³ú Parmesan (or alternative vegetarian hard cheese), finely grated

Method

  1. For the pistou, blend the herbs, garlic, lemon juice and crème fraîche in a food processor until finely chopped. Season well with salt and pepper.

  2. Cook the linguine in a large pan of salted boiling water according to the packet instructions. Drain, reserving 2 tablespoons of the pasta water.

  3. Melt the butter in a deep frying pan, add the mushrooms and fry over a high heat for a few minutes. Cover with a lid for 3 minutes, remove the lid and cook off any liquid over a high heat until the mushrooms are golden brown. Spoon into a bowl.

  4. Add the pistou to the frying pan and bring to the boil. Add the pasta and reserved water, season with salt and pepper and toss until coated.

  5. Add most of the Parmesan and mushrooms.

  6. Tip the pasta into bowls and scatter with the remaining Parmesan and mushrooms. Check the seasoning, adding more salt and pepper if necessary, and serve.

Recipe tips

The pistou can be made up to a day ahead and kept in the fridge until needed.