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Fettuccine with Olives and Arugula

Fettuccine with Olives and Arugula

By Julia RackowOctober 15, 2019

  • Makes
    4 servings
  • Cook Time
    25 minutes
  • Rating

Meaty, flavor-packed olives require little effort to be transformed into a vegetarian no-cook “sauce” for pasta. We tame the bite of raw garlic and minced fresh chilies by steeping them in lemon juice, a combination that balances the olives' saltiness. You can use a food processor to pulse the olives until they're finely chopped or prep them by hand with a chef's knife—either way, make sure that the pieces are evenly fine so that they combine with the pasta rather than fall to the bottom of the bowl. Chopped baby arugula added at the end provides herbal peppery notes as well as verdant color. Pecorino Romano is a delicious flourish, but you could omit it to make the dish vegan.

Tip

Don't use canned olives. Their texture is mealy and soft, and their flavor tends to be weak and watery. Olives packed in jars or sold in bulk from the grocery store's deli section are the best choice for this dish.

Ingredients
  • 3

    medium garlic cloves, minced

  • 2

    serrano or Fresno chilies, stemmed, seeded and minced

  • 2

    tablespoons lemon juice, plus lemon wedges to serve

  • Kosher salt and ground black pepper

  • 12

    12 ounces fettuccini or linguini

  • 1

    cup pitted black or green olives, or a mixture, finely chopped (see note)

  • 2

    tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

  • 4

    cups lightly packed baby arugula, roughly chopped

  • Grated pecorino Romano, to serve (optional)

Step 1

In a small bowl, stir together the garlic, chilies and lemon juice. Let stand for about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, in a large pot, bring 4 quarts water to a boil.

Add 2 tablespoons salt and the pasta, then cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente. Reserve ½ cup of the cooking water, then drain.

Step 2

While the pasta cooks, place the olives in a large bowl. Add the drained pasta to the olives, along with the oil, garlic-chili mixture, ¼ teaspoon pepper and 2 tablespoons of reserved cooking water.

Toss, adding cooking water 1 tablespoon at a time as needed to create a silky sauce. Toss in the arugula and serve with lemon wedges and pecorino, if using.