Adam Roberts' Pistachio Arugula Pesto by Lucy Burdette

LUCY BURDETTE: have you ever made and eaten a dish so often that suddenly you screech to a halt and say I’m not having that again anytime soon? This happened to me with pesto this year, even though we have tons of basil in the end of John’s garden, begging to be used. But then I came across a blog post from blogger and novelist Adam Roberts, discussing his recipe for arugula pistachio pesto. This I couldn’t resist! I think it would be exactly the kind of dish Hayley Snow would make and eat after a busy day at work...

Ingredients

3 cups arugula

Half a cup shelled pistachios

One garlic clove.

4 ounces or so good Parmesan cheese

8 ounces good pasta

Olive oil

Cherry tomatoes.

Grind the Parmesan cheese to crumbs. (Adam grinds his cheese separately. I’ve always added chunks after the nuts and before the greens, but I think either method could work.)

Toast the pistachios in a small pan on the stove. Once they’ve cooled, use your food processor to grind them. Add in the garlic and grind that with the nuts. (I use only one clove because otherwise I feel like it overwhelms the dish, but feel free to add more as you wish.)

Add the Parmesan and the arugula back into the bowl of the food processor and whirl this all together until it’s a beautiful creamy green.

Slice your cherry tomatoes in half.

Cook the pasta until just done, saving aside a bit of the pasta water to use if the pesto is too thick. Toss the pasta with the pesto. Mix in the cherry tomatoes.

Serve with a salad or other green vegetables. We had radicchio and lettuce and one nice garden tomato mixed with a bit of feta cheese and vinaigrette.

This was a wonderful way to bring me back to the pesto fold!

A DELICIOUS DECEPTION can be found at a bookstore near you!

A Delicious Deception has a slightly different tone than some of the earlier books, with more emphasis on family, but I loved it just as much as the rest of the series. Ms. Burdette has created characters who have grown in such natural, believable ways. She delivers an excellent mystery while also weaving in a major, emotional turning point in their lives. There is drama, murder, secrets, late-pregnancy feelings and hormones, a sick father-in-law, home renovations, a fun baby shower, and friends and family ready to tackle whatever comes their way. And in the end, a beautiful baby! Escape with Dollycas

This cozy mystery expertly balances personal stakes with a fast-paced plot in a consistent Burdette fashion. It’s a suspenseful, heart-filled addition to the series that proves Hayley is just as effective at solving crimes as she is at critiquing menus. Netgalley reviewer

Book 15 in the Key West series, paperback edition of THE MANGO MURDERS, is in bookstores now!

USA Today bestselling author Lucy Burdette writes the Key West food critic mystery series including A POISONOUS PALATE and A CLUE IN THE CRUMBS. Join her mailing list right here.