Thomasina Miers’ Linguine with a deliciously spicy pumpkin seed pesto

Cooking Time

Ingredients

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Ingredients

  •   1 Large, very ripe tomato
  •   3 Garlic cloves, skins on
  •   1 Habanero/Scotch bonnet chilli
  • g Pumpkin seeds
  •   tbsp Fresh oregano leaves
  •   Large handful of coriander leaves, roughly chopped
  •   tbsp Salt
  •   1 Small shallot, peeled and roughly chopped
  • g Pecorino, freshly grated, plus

more for serving

  •   Juice and zest of ½ lime
  •   Juice and zest of ½ orange
  • ml Extra virgin olive oil
  • g Linguine

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.

Ingredients

  • 1 Large, very ripe tomato
  • 3 Garlic cloves, skins on
  • 1 Habanero/Scotch bonnet chilli
  • 75 g Pumpkin seeds
  • tbsp Fresh oregano leaves
  • Large handful of coriander leaves, roughly chopped
  • tbsp Salt
  • 1 Small shallot, peeled and roughly chopped
  • 70 g Pecorino, freshly grated, plus
  • Juice and zest of ½ lime
  • Juice and zest of ½ orange
  • 120 ml Extra virgin olive oil
  • 300 g Linguine