Recipe

Make Pesto

1. Fill large bowl with water and ice to make ice bath.
2. Bring medium pot of water to a boil. Add parsley (stems and all) to water, and blanch for about 30 seconds, just until parsley turns bright green. Using tongs, transfer blanched parsley to ice bath to cool completely and stop cooking process. Once chilled, remove parsley and thoroughly squeeze out all water. Using sharp knife, finely chop blanched parsley.
3. In food processor, combine parsley, pine nuts, garlic, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Starting at low speed and steadily increasing to high, gradually blend in olive oil until mix is emulsified and parsley is blended into pine nuts (it should have a relatively thick consistency that can nicely sit on a plate). Transfer to resealable container and refrigerate until ready to use. It will keep for up to 1 week.

Make Casarecce

1. Bring large pot of salted water to a boil. Add dried pasta and cook for 10 minutes, until al dente. Strain pasta, and pop back into pot with little squeeze of oil just to coat very lightly. Set aside.
2. In large pan over medium-high heat, heat olive oil until it shimmers. Add zucchini and sauté for 5 minutes, until white part of zucchini starts to caramelize. Add shallots and cherry tomatoes, and continue to sauté until tomatoes start to blister, another 3 to 5 minutes. Add cooked pasta, and toss to mix and heat through. Season with salt and pepper (have a taste to make sure your seasoning is on point).
3. When plating pasta, first scoop 3 tbsp of parsley pesto onto dish and swirl to make circle of pesto. Evenly distribute pasta and vegetables among 4 plates, and garnish with sprinkle of toasted pine nuts for added crunch.

Tip: Toast your pine nuts while you’re prepping other ingredients, so the air is filled with the nutty scent! We dry-fry ours in a heavy-bottomed frying pan over medium-high heat. Just stay nearby to give them the occasional shake — it should take only a few minutes.