Farfalle with Rocket And Watercress Pesto Sauce

The recipe is for 2 people. It takes up to 10 minutes to cook and drain the pasta, and in that time the rocket and watercress pesto sauce can be prepared.

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Equipment:

• pestle and mortar

Ingredients:

• 150g-175g  farfalle, conchiglie or penne 
• 1/2 clove of garlic, chopped and minced 
• ½ lemon , juiced and zested
• parmesan cheese (or vegetarian alternative) 50g/2 oz., finely grated
• handful of fresh basil
• handful of fresh sweet or perennial rocket
• handful of watercress
• olive oil, 1 tbsp
• 20g toasted pine nuts 
• black pepper to taste 

Preparation:

1. Cook whatever pasta you intend to use following pack instructions. As its farfalle that will take at least 4 minutes, others can take up to 8 minutes.
2. The pine nuts can be dry roasted on a tray in the oven for about 5 minutes and no more.
3. Put the rest of the ingredients such as the garlic, basil, rocket, watercress in a large mortar bowl with 1 tbsp olive oil, season really well and mix.
4. Pound the garlic, pinenuts and salad leaves together to create a paste. Add the parmesan cheese by degrees to continue making the paste.
5. Add further olive oil to make the paste just runny enough so that it makes a sauce that can be added and mixed into the pasta when it’s ready.
6. Drain the pasta, but keep 2 tbsp of the cooking water, then toss everything together. The cooking water is added if needs be to just help loosen any pasta and stop it clumping together especially as the dish cools.
7. Add any lemon juice to the pesto if it needs it and then just add to the drained pasta. Mix thoroughly.
8. Grate over more parmesan and black pepper to taste.