Pistachio-Tomato Pasta (Pasta con Pistacchi) (Sicily)

“I wouldn't have arrived at this combination in a million years, but I'm glad someone did - different, delicious, and weeknight-friendly,” a reader wrote about this pistachio-tomato merger. We didn't come up with it, but we, too, were delighted when our editorial director J.M. Hirsch brought it back from Sicily. This was one of a variety of nut pestos he was served, all about making the most of just two or three ingredients. ⁠


“In minutes—less time than the pasta cooked—chopped grape tomatoes were reduced to a sauce in a skillet of sizzling olive oil,” he wrote, of the pistachio pesto ravioli made by Doriana Gesualdi at the trattoria Sicilia in Tavola. “A splash of starchy pasta cooking water first loosened, then thickened them. Coarsely ground pistachios mixed with olive oil went in next, simmering and reducing. Next, the pasta—plump ricotta-­stuffed ravioli. Onto the plate and topped with more crushed pistachios, all in under 10 minutes.” ⁠


The sweet tomatoes, pasta water and rich, savory nuts merge into an almost creamy sauce. For our riff, we skip the grinding and keep the pistachios coarsely chopped, adding mint and lemon zest for brightness. ⁠