Recipe by Tori Pintar

White pesto is probably one of the simplest and most delicious discoveries I’ve made in all my years of cooking. I owe this to Lindsey Love from the beautiful blog Dolly and Oatmeal. She has a knack for always inspiring a recipe that’s in line with my own cravings. White pesto is quite a chameleon. In my version it serves as a base for all the things falling off the vine in late summer but feel free to use what’s in season now. Or if you’re seeing spring snowstorms like me and need a reminder of the summer to come and a little extra hope in these tough days – permission granted to cook out of season. Tip: Roasting cherry tomatoes is a trick for tasting of summer all year long – even on the darkest day of winter. Stay well friends.

Ingredients:

• 8 ounces fresh ricotta

• 1⁄4 cup toasted pine nuts, finely chopped

• 1⁄4 cup olive oil

• 1 clove of garlic, grated on a microplane

• zest of one lemon

• 2 teaspoons finely chopped oregano

• 1 1⁄2 cups of finely grated parmesan

• salt and pepper

• 1 cup pasta water

• 1 box Blue Evolution seaweed pasta

• 1 pint cherry tomatoes, cut into halves

• olive oil

• salt & pepper

• sugar (optional)

• Leftover veggies: 1 ear of corn (kernels removed), 1 large summer squash (cut into half moons), and/or any other vegetable leftovers you have

• fresh basil, julienned for serving (optional)

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 325 ̇F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Add cherry tomato halves and drizzle olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. If your cherry tomatoes need a hand in the flavor department add a little bit of sugar too to help them along. Toss everything to coat and arrange evenly on your pan cut side up.

2. Roast until edges crinkle and they’ve shrunk in size, about 30-40 minutes. We’re not completely drying them. We want caramelized edges but still a softish center. Let cool and store in an airtight container. (Or eat like candy. Hopefully they make it into your pasta.)

3. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package directions until al dente.

4. In a large bowl combine ricotta, pine nuts, olive oil, garlic, lemon zest, oregano, and parmesan. Season with salt and pepper. Stir vigorously to fully incorporate the olive oil.

5. When pasta is ready, remove one cup of pasta water and add half of it to the ricotta mixture, whisk to combine. Keep adding water until you have a creamy consistency. Strain pasta and add to the white pesto. Toss to combine.

6. Ladle pasta mixture into bowls and top with vegetables, cherry tomatoes, and basil.

7. Enjoy!