Pesto Pasta with Blistered Cherry Tomatoes

Ingredients

• 8 oz pasta
• 2 cups packed basil leaves
• ⅓ cup olive oil
• ¼ cup toasted pine nuts or walnuts
• ½ cup grated parmesan
• 1 clove garlic
• 2 cups Cherry Tomatoes
• 1 lemon, zested
• Salt

Method

1. Blitz basil, nuts, garlic, parmesan, and olive oil into a rough pesto. Season with salt and a little lemon zest. (A mortar makes it better; a blender makes it Tuesday-possible.)
2. Boil the pasta in salted water. Reserve a cup of pasta water before draining.
3. Meanwhile, blister the Cherry Tomatoes in a dry, hot pan until charred and slumping, 3–4 minutes.
4. Off the heat, toss pasta with pesto and enough pasta water to make it cling like a good rumor. Fold in the Cherry Tomatoes. Never cook pesto — it's a sauce, not a soup.