Spelt Trofie with Carrot-Top Pesto

Lightly floured trays filling up with hand rolled trofie pasta.

A steamy saute pan bubbling away with the carrots and trofie.

Trofie pasta with pesto and hazelnuts on top.

The carrot-top pesto blended into the trofie pasta with some additional 

toasted hazelnuts on top.

This was an extensive recipe, but well worth the effort.  The pasta was delicious.  A bit garlicy but good balance between the sweet,nutty taste of the spelt flour pasta, the multi herb/greens pesto, and the caramelized carrots with red pepper flakes. 

Since this recipe requires preparation of three elements of the dish, I highly suggest some of the tasks to be completed a day or two ahead.  Pesto keeps very well in the refrigerator for a few days, or freeze it if you like, but definitely make this ahead.  The carrots could be sliced ahead and the hazelnuts, toasted ahead as well.

On the day you choose to prepare this dish your main task should only be creating the pasta shapes. They are really fun and easy to make, if you have young children, they can help out as well.

As Always,

ENJOY!

recipe courtesy of Tasting Table

INGREDIENTS

For the Pasta Dough:

2 cups (9 ounces) spelt flour

¾ cup water, plus more as needed

For the Carrot Stems and Leaves:

8 cups boiling water

1 tablespoon salt

1 bunch carrot stems with leaves attached, cleaned (4 ounces)

For the Carrot-Top Pesto:

½ cup toasted hazelnuts

1½ teaspoons roughly chopped garlic (1 clove)

1 cup roughly chopped blanched carrot leaves

1 cup packed basil

1 cup packed parsley

½ cup finely chopped blanched carrot stems

1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

¼ cup grated Parmesan

¾ cup extra-virgin olive oil

Kosher salt, to taste

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

For the Trofie Pasta:

1 tablespoon olive oil

3 cups 1-inch carrot pieces (5 to 6 medium carrots)

Kosher salt, to taste

1 garlic clove, thinly sliced

½ teaspoon crushed red chile flakes

3 cups spelt trofie

¼ cup packed grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

¼ cup basil

½ cup carrot-top pesto

2 tablespoons chopped toasted hazelnuts

DIRECTIONS

1. Make the pasta dough: In a medium bowl, mound the spelt flour and create a well in the center. Pour the water into the well and use your hands to mix until a dough forms. Transfer the dough to a clean work surface and knead to form a smooth, elastic dough ball, about 10 minutes. Wrap in plastic and let rest 30 minutes to 1 hour.

2. Meanwhile, blanch the carrot stems and leaves: Make a small ice bath. In a medium saucepan over high heat, bring the water to a boil and season with 1 tablespoon of salt. Add the carrot stems with their leaves attached and blanch until they turn bright green and soften, about 2 minutes. Shock immediately in the ice bath for about 3 minutes, then dry and roughly chop the leaves, yielding about 1 cup. Finely chop the stems, yielding about ½ cup.

3. Make the pesto: In a food processor, pulse the hazelnuts and garlic to a fine meal, about 20 seconds. Add the carrot leaves, basil, parsley and carrot stems, and pulse to chop, another 20 seconds. Add the white wine vinegar and Parmesan and, with the machine running, add the olive oil in a slow and steady stream, stopping and scraping the sides as needed. Continue to pulse until the mixture is smooth, not chunky, yet not quite a purée. Season with salt and pepper, cover and store in the fridge for up to 5 days. Makes about 1½ cups.

4. Roll the pasta dough: Line a sheet tray with parchment paper and dust it heavily with spelt flour. Using a rolling pin on a spelt-flour dusted surface, roll the pasta dough to a 1/16-inch thickness. Cut into ½-by-¼-inch pieces. Working one piece at a time, use the palm of your dominant hand and roll each piece on the flat kitchen surface forward and into the shape of a slightly twisted toothpick with pointed, tapered ends. Transfer to the floured sheet tray. Makes about 5 cups uncooked trofie.

5. Make the trofie pasta: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. In a separate, 10-inch sauté pan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the carrots and season with a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until charred, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and chile flakes, and cook until fragrant, another 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and keep warm.

6. Add the trofie to the boiling water and cook until just shy of al dente, 4 to 5 minutes. Drain the cooked trofie, reserving about 1 cup of the pasta water. Add the trofie and 3/4 cup of the reserved pasta water to the carrots, adding more water as needed. Return the skillet to medium-high heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until the trofie is cooked through and the liquid has reduced to a sauce, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the Parmesan and basil, taste and adjust seasoning. Transfer to a platter and top with the pesto and chopped hazelnuts. Serve.