Thomasina Miers’ Linguine with a deliciously spicy pumpkin seed pesto

Method

• 1

  Step 1

  Heat a large, heavy-bottomed frying pan over a high heat. Place the whole tomato, garlic cloves and chillin in the pan and dry roast until they are blackened, blistered and soft. The tomato will take a little longer, so fish out the garlic and chilli first as they are cooked (about 5-10 minutes).
• 2

  Step 2

  Slip the skins off the garlic and cut the chilli in half, removing and discarding the stem, seeds and inner veins
• 3

  Step 3

  Meanwhile, toast the pumpkin seeds in another dry frying pan until they become toasted all over and start to 'pop'.
• 4

  Step 4

  Blitz the pumpkin seeds with the herbs and salt in a food processor and then add the tomato, garlic, chilli, shallot and pecorino and blitz again.
• 5

  Step 5

  Finally add the citrus juices, zest and olive oil and blitz to a pesto.
• 6

  Step 6

  Cook the pasta until al dente in plenty of well-salted boiling water and drain, reserving the cooking water.
• 7

  Step 7

  Toss the pasta with the pesto, followed by 2-3 tablespoons of the reserved cooking water.
• 8

  Step 8

  Allow to sit for a minute or two and add a few tablespools more water if needed to loosen the pasta. This stops it from becoming dry when you get it to the table.
• 9

  Step 9

  Serve with lots of freshly grated pecorino and, if you like, a green salad.