It’s Too Damn Hot to Cook Anything Except This Pesto Pasta

I don’t want to go on record as saying that I hate summer, per se, but I’m not crazy about really hot, humid weather. For the record, I don’t really love winter either, but at least when it’s cold you can put more clothes on; the reverse is not always true. This “spring” in Michigan we had roughly 100 consecutive days of rain, followed by 90-degree humid horror. As a person who lives without air conditioning, mid-June is a bit early for this nonsense. I need to build up my tolerance to sun and heat gradually.

Best argument for trading in
the bottom-freezer refrigerator

Unfortunately, my family still expects to eat on days when it’s so hot that anything more vigorous than sitting up is exhausting, and there’s only so much carryout we can eat (plus we have to agree on what to get, and there’s the whole food-restriction thing, and dining out is expensive and time-consuming and gets old fast). So what’s a mom to do? Scrounge up this recipe that happens in the amount of time it takes to boil water and tastes like summer incarnate.

I highly recommend using fresh pasta here; aside from being delicious and feeling more like a “I’m making you a nice dinner” choice than dried pasta, it cooks super fast so your stove is on for less time. Every second counts here, people. I was very happy to discover fresh gluten-free fettucine at Trader Joe’s recently; while it had the same ludicrous price difference as every other GF item in the world, it wasn’t completely outrageous and made a world of difference in the finished dish.

From Cooking Light magazine, April 2010. I can’t even express how sad I am that this magazine closed.

Linguine with Arugula Pesto 

12 oz uncooked linguine
1 Tbsp pine nuts, toasted
1 garlic clove, crushed
2 cups loosely packed arugula
2 cups loosely packed basil
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
¾ tsp salt
¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
6 Tbsp freshly grated pecorino Romano cheese (who are we kidding, you’re not going to measure this. Use as much as you want.)

Cook the pasta according to package instructions, omitting fat and salt. Drain, reserving ½ cup cooking liquid, and put in a serving bowl.

While the pasta cooks, put the nuts and garlic in a food processor and process until mixed. Add everything except the cheese and process until well combined.

Add the arugula mixture and reserved pasta cooking water to the pasta and toss well to coat. Serve with the cheese.