Linquine with Pesto

submitted by dciskey

Ingredients

 * 1 pound fresh or dried linguine
 * 1 boiling/baking potato, peeled and cubed (about 3/4" cubes)
 * 1 cup pesto (see below)
 * 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
 * 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, for serving
 * Freshly ground black pepper, for serving

Pesto
Here is a recipe for pesto; I have not used it. You can buy pesto at the grocery store to save yourself some time, especially if you don't have a food processor. However, I would avoid the stuff in the jar; get fresh pesto, which will be refrigerated, usually next to the refrigerated pasta. It's delicious and saves you some work.

Ingredients

 * 2 cloves garlic
 * 3/4 cup pine nuts
 * Salt
 * Leaves from 1 bunch basil, about 1/4 pound, well washed and dried
 * 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
 * 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
 * 1/2 cup grated hard pecorino cheese

Directions

 * 1) Put the garlic, pine nuts, a pinch of salt, the basil, and the oil into the food processor and process it until the ingredients form a smooth paste.
 * 2) Add the Parmesan and the pecorino and pulse to combine.
 * 3) Taste and adjust the salt if necessary.

Now that we've talked about the pesto

 * 1) Boil up a big bunch of water for the linquine
 * 2) When you've got a nice boil going, add the pasta and the potatoes to the water. I'm told the starch from the potatoes will help the pasta from clumping, and they're yummy besides that.
 * 3) When the pasta is cooked to your satisfaction, drain the pasta and potatoes but keep some of the water handy.
 * 4) Move the pasta and potatoes to a large bowl and dress them with the butter and the pesto. I add the butter first, because I want it distributed, but the pesto needn't be so even, just make sure everybody gets some when you serve.
 * 5) If the pasta seems dry, add a bit of the cooking water you saved.
 * 6) Top with the Parmesan cheese and pepper when you serve it.

Variations

 * I like to use red potatoes in this recipe; they lend a nice color if you leave the skins on, just give them a good rinse and scrub before cubing them.
 * You can use any pasta you'd like, of course. I think next time I might try it with some kind of macaroni noodles.