Spaghetti variations

With basil-walnut pesto or pumpkin-seed pesto & Lemon spaghetti and spaghetti with garlic and parsley

Basil-walnut pesto

2 bunches fresh basil
⅔ cup walnuts
1 cup grated pecorino or parmesan cheese
6 Tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper

In a food processor, pulse the basil, walnuts, ⅔ of the cheese, olive oil and salt and pepper to taste.

Pumpkin-seed pesto

150 g pumpkin seeds
3 slices white or brown bread
100 g grated Parmesan cheese
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
7 Tablespoon pumpkin-seed oil
1 bunch fresh parsley

Roast the pumpkin seeds in a dry skillet. Remove crusts from the bread and dice the bread. In a food processor, pulse all ingredients together.
This pesto can be kept in the refrigerator up to a couple of weeks.

To serve, cook 350 g spaghetti al dente in salted water, drain well, turn into a heated bowl or platter and spoon the pesto over the spaghetti. Garnish with the rest or additional cheese and serve immediately.

Lemon spaghetti

lemon
crème fraîche
grated Parmesan cheese
parsley
salt & pepper
350 g spaghetti
black olives, chopped
chives, chopped

Start cooking the spaghetti in salted water. Wash and dry the lemon, grate the zest and juice it. Mix lemon zest & juice, crème fraîche, parsley, salt & pepper together to make a sauce. When the spaghetti is cooked al dente, drain it and stir the lemon sauce into the spaghetti. Place briefly over heat to warm it through. Garnish with black olives and/or chives, and serve with parmesan cheese.

Spaghetti with garlic and parsley

In a food processor or blender, pulse 4 garlic cloves with a large bunch of parsley, 7 Tablespoons of olive oil and coarse sea salt to taste. Use this sauce fresh, as the garlic becomes bitter if kept. Cook the spaghetti as above, stir in the pesto and serve with Parmesan cheese.