Orecchiette with Walnut Sauce

12 minutes

Serves 2

Vegetarian

This recipe is from Delia's Happy Christmas.

So simple but so, so good is how best to introduce this recipe.

It is a great standby for serving to unexpected guests who don't eat fish or meat. I've used orecchiette ('little ears') here, but any small pasta shapes will do. It's very rich, so it would be good to serve it with a simple salad made with some crisp chicory and a lemony dressing. For a Parmesan 'style' vegetarian cheese, visit Bookham and Harrison Farms Ltd.

The Delia Online Cookery School: For more pasta recipes and see how to cook perfect pasta, watch our cookery school video on this page.

Got a question on Delia's recipes? Ask Lindsey

Ask a Question

Method

Begin by chopping half the walnuts finely together with the garlic in a mini-chopper or small processor.

Then combine this mixture in a bowl with the mascarpone and Parmesan, and add some seasoning. Now bring a pan containing 2 litres of salted water to the boil and warm two pasta bowls. Add the pasta to the water, give it one good stir and let it simmer for about 12 minutes. Meanwhile, chop the rest of the walnuts (not too finely this time).

Drain the pasta in a colander, return it to the pan and quickly stir in the walnut sauce, keeping the pan over a low heat as you do so to warm the sauce through. Serve the pasta with the rest of the nuts sprinkled over and some more Parmesan at the table.