Personal

Car Stuff

Extras

Nigella's Pasta alla genovese with potatoes, green beans & pesto

"If I’ve been working late, am feeling lazy, have forgotten to go shopping or suddenly find out that my children's friends are staying over and I don’t know what they will or won’t eat, I reach gratefully for a packet of pasta. "

500g/1lb 2oz large floury potatoes, peeled and cut into 1.5cm/½in slices, each slice cut into quarters
500g/1lb 2oz linguine
200g/7oz fine green beans, trimmed and cut in half
For the pesto
100g/3½oz basil leaves
100g/3½oz grated parmesan cheese
1 garlic clove, peeled
100ml/3½fl oz regular olive oil
100ml/3½fl oz extra virgin olive oil

Put the prepared potato chunks into a large saucepan with enough salted water to take the pasta later, and bring to the boil.

Cook the potatoes until tender, about 20 minutes, then add the pasta. Check the packet cooking instructions, and at about 4 minutes before the end of the specified cooking time, add the green beans. (If you are using artisanal egg linguine, which takes less time, you will need to alter your strategy.)

While this is bubbling away, whiz all of the ingredients for the pesto in a food processor.

Before you drain the saucepan of pasta and potatoes, remove it from the heat and reserve about a cupful of the cooking water. Drain, then tip the drained potatoes, beans and pasta back into the dry pan.

Add the pesto from the processor and mix in enough cooking water to make a runny sauce that coats the strands of pasta as you work the sauce through with a fork or pasta claw. Serve immediately.