Pasta with Pine Nuts & Sun-Dried Tomatoes

The trick that makes this pasta different from every other olive-oil-and-cheese dish is the pan-fry. Cook the fusilli to just-al-dente, drain, then crisp it in a hot skillet of olive oil for about ten minutes. The corkscrew shape catches the heat and you end up with toasted, crunchy edges and still-tender centers.

Use a heavy skillet (cast iron or stainless) and don’t crowd the pan, otherwise the pasta steams instead of frying. Stir frequently so the crispy bits develop without scorching to bitter.

Toasted pine nuts and oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes are the soul of the dish. Pine nuts add buttery crunch; sun-dried tomatoes bring concentrated sweet-tart punch. Warm them briefly in the same skillet to bloom the flavor, then pour everything over the pasta.

Toss with a generous handful of fresh parsley and grated Parmigiano-Reggiano at the end. The cheese clings to the crispy edges; the parsley brightens the whole dish against the rich oil and tomatoes.

Chef Tips

• Toast the pine nuts in a dry skillet for 3 to 4 minutes before everything else; raw pine nuts taste flat and need heat to release their oils
• Use oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, not dry-packed; oil-packed are softer and ready to chop without a soak in hot water
• Reserve some pasta water in case the dish gets dry from the pan-frying; a splash will loosen things back up
• Grate the Parmesan fresh off the wedge; pre-shredded cheese has cellulose that won’t melt properly into the oil

Variations

• Add chopped fresh basil with the parsley for a more aromatic, summer-leaning version
• Toss in baby spinach or arugula at the end so the greens wilt into the warm pasta
• Stir in a pat of butter alongside the cheese for an even richer mouthfeel