linguine with walnut and broccoli rabe pesto

3/4 pound linguine
1/2 pound broccoli rabe
1/2 cup walnuts
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup freshly grated pecorino cheese
2 cloves roasted garlic (recipe below)
pinch of red chili flakes
salt and pepper to taste

roasted garlic:
1 head of garlic
extra virgin olive oil
kosher salt

preheat the oven to 400°F.

peel away the outer layers of the garlic bulb skin, leaving the skins of the individual cloves intact. using a knife, cut off 1/4 to a 1/2 inch of the top of cloves, exposing the individual cloves of garlic.

place the garlic heads in a baking pan; muffin pans work well for this purpose. drizzle a couple teaspoons of olive oil over each head, using your fingers to make sure the garlic head is well coated, and a pinch of kosher salt. cover with aluminum foil. bake at 400°F for 30-35 minutes, or until the cloves feel soft when pressed.

allow the garlic to cool enough so you can touch it without burning yourself. use a small small knife cut the skin slightly around each clove. use a cocktail fork or your fingers to pull or squeeze the roasted garlic cloves out of their skins.

linguine pasta dish:
preheat the oven to 350. spread the walnuts onto a pie plate and toast in the oven for 14 minutes. let cool, and chop 2 tbsp. and set aside.

bring a large pot of water to a boil to blanch the broccoli rabe. when the water is boiling put the broccoli rabe in and boil for 3 minutes. drain and cool under cold running water. squeeze the excess water out of the broccoli rabe, and coarsely chop.

in a food processor, and in the garlic, and the remainder of the toasted walnuts, and pulse until coarsely chopped. add in the broccoli rabe, red pepper flakes, and olive oil and process until the broccoli rabe is finely chopped. add in 1/3 cup of the pecorino cheese, pulse until everything is evenly mixed together. season with salt and pepper.

bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the linguine according to the directions. drain the pasta and save about 1/2 cup of the pasta water. add the linguine with the reserved pasta water back into the pot, and mix with your pesto mixture. serve on a plate or bowl of your choice, and top with chopped toasted walnuts, and grated pecorino cheese.

enjoy :)

justin