Gemelli, Lemon, Olives, Parsley

Picture a much younger Martha Stewart, taller, thinner, dark-haired, and of Italian-American descent. This is Athena Calderone, creator of @eyeswoon. Like Martha Stewart, she cooks, designs interiors of her various homes, has many product lines, is an entertaining maven, and enjoys the camera. Do I sound jealous?! Nah. It’s just hard to believe such accomplished people, like Martha Stewart, exist.

And darn it, she’s very talented. I really didn’t want to like her, but I do. She wrote a cookbook, and I bought it. I didn’t want to like it, but I did!

This recipe is from her cookbook – Cook Beautiful – published in 2017. The recipe is simple and in fact, one I could have easily come up with, except that I didn’t. She did. And it’s more involved than I might have made the dish. And it’s spectacular.

This spring recipe is called Gemelli with Zesty Lemon, Castelvetrano Olives, and Parsley. It also contains ricotta salata, which can be challenging to locate. Any short pasta would work, but Gemelli are fun.

Gemelli with Zesty Lemon, Castelvetrano Olives, and Parsley

1/2 cup hazelnuts
Salt and freshly cracked pepper
1 large bunch of parsley, minced
2 cups roughly chopped Castelvetrano olives
2 large lemons, grated zest and juice
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus 2 tablespoons, plus more for drizzling
Kosher salt
1 pound Gemelli pasta
3 large cloves garlic
1 to 2 anchovy fillets, depending on your taste
1 cup grated ricotta salata, plus shaved ricotta salata for serving
1/4 teaspoon minced habanero chile, for serving (I didn’t use a chile pepper)
Aleppo pepper, for serving

Preheat to oven to 400 degrees F. Spread the hazelnuts on a baking sheet and toast until lightly golden and fragrant, about 10 minutes. Place the toasted nuts on a clean dish towel and rub them against one another until they lose most of their skins. Roughly chop the hazelnuts, place them in a bowl, and toss with a generous drizzle of oil. Season with salt and pepper and set aside. (I used already roasted and skinned hazelnuts.)

In a medium bowl, mix together the parsley, olives, lemon juice, zest, and 1/2 cup oil. Set aside.

Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil over medium heat. Add the pasta and cook according to package directions until al dente. Drain, reserving 1/2 of the pasta water.

Mince the garlic and anchovy together until they form almost a paste on your cutting board. In a large skillet, heat the 2 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Add the garlic and anchovy paste. Cook, stirring constantly, until the garlic is soft and fragrant, about 1 minute. Reduce the heat to low.

Pour the drained pasta into the skillet. Add the grated cheese and reserved pasta water and tosss until the cheese is evenly distributed. Stir in the parsley and olive mixture and toss until the pasta is evenly coated.

Taste and adjust for seasoning (needs salt) and serve topped with toasted hazelnuts, habaneros, shaved cheese, and a sprinkle of Aleppo pepper.

This pasta dish is truly fabulous. I love the lemon and parsley and garlic and hazelnuts and the hint of anchovies. The cheese adds a creamy touch. But, I just had to add an egg to the pasta.

But seriously the pasta is great without anything added.