Dreamy Pasta and Beans with Halloumi And Rocket Pesto

• porții: 4 servings
• timp total: 50 minutes

Ingrediente

75ml olive oil

6 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced

1 (15g) green chilli, halved lengthways

1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves, chopped

2 tins of cannellini beans (800g), drained and rinsed (480g)

250g dried gemelli or trofie pasta

700ml chicken or vegetable stock

60ml (from 2-3 lemons) lemon juice

1 block (around 200g) halloumi, very finely grated

salt and black pepper

50g pine nuts, well toasted

2 small garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped

60g rocket, roughly chopped

20g parsley, roughly chopped

90ml olive oil

Instrucțiuni

Put the oil into a large sauté pan, for which you have a lid, and place it on a medium-high heat. Once hot, add the garlic and chilli and cook for 2 minutes, stirring often, until the garlic is nicely golden. Add the thyme, beans, pasta, stock, 1½ teaspoons salt and plenty of pepper and bring to a simmer. Turn the heat down to medium, cover with the lid, and cook for 12 minutes. Remove from the heat and let it sit, lid off, for about 10 minutes. This will help the pasta absorb more of the flavourful liquid.

Meanwhile, make the rocket pesto by first putting the pine nuts, garlic, rocket, parsley, 3 tablespoons of the oil, ¼ teaspoon of salt and a good grind of pepper into a food processor. Pulse a few times, scraping down the sides of the bowl, until you have a coarse paste. Stir in the remaining 3 tablespoons of oil.

When ready, stir the lemon juice and half the pesto into the pasta and transfer to a large shallow bowl or platter with a lip (alternatively, serve straight from the pan). Sprinkle over about half the halloumi and serve the extra halloumi and pesto in bowls alongside.

Rocket pesto:

– Store in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Seal the top of the pesto with more oil to keep the colour.

– This would go so well with the potato slab pie, or smeared on to the tattie scones instead of the fennel and sausage gravy.