500gLinguine Or Pasta Of Choicecooked to packet instructions
10gFresh Parsleyfinely chopped
Nettle Pesto
30gFreshly Picked Nettle Leaves
50gPine Nuts
60mlExtra Virgin Olive Oil
1TeaspoonKosher Salt
1CloveGarlicminced
3TablespoonsNutritional Yeast
1/2Lemonjuiced
Breadcrumbs
200gCrusty Breadloosely chopped into 2 cm chunks
2TablespoonsOlive Oil
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 200c (fan oven)
Place your 200g of chopped bread into a food processor and blitz into rough breadcrumbs.
Pour the breadcrumbs onto a large baking tray and cover with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Toss the breadcrumbs in the oil until evenly covered. Then season with salt and cracked black pepper.
Place the breadcrumbs into the oven and bake for 10 minutes until golden brown. Remove and allow to cool on the side for at least 10 minutes. This will dry the breadcrumbs out further and get them super crispy.
Whilst the breadcrumbs are cooking. Pour the 50g of pine nuts into a frying pan and heat over a medium-high heat. Toast the pine nuts for 2-3 minutes, moving often, until they start to turn golden brown on some edges. Remove the pan from the heat and leave the pine nuts to cool.
Place the 30g of nettle leaves into a small mixing bowl and cover with 1 1/2 litres of freshly boiled water. Stir the nettles so that they are fully submerged and leave to sit for a minute.
Drain the nettles and allow to cool. Then squeeze all the excess moisture out of the cooked leaves. (Don't worry about getting stung by the nettles - cooking removes the stinging properties of the nettles).
Place the cooked nettles into a small food processor or blender along with the toasted pine nuts and 60ml of olive oil, the juice of 1/2 a lemon, 1 clove of minced garlic, 1 teaspoon of kosher salt and 3 tablespoons of nutritional yeast. Whiz the ingredients into a chunky green pesto.
Combine the pesto and your cooked pasta in a large mixing bowl. Plate your pasta in individual bowls with the breadcrumbs and chopped parsley heaped over the top.