At Wickedfood Cooking School we believe that the simplest pasta recipes taste the best. This is our take on this Tuscan classic. Pecans and walnuts work equally well in this recipe. If you use very fresh walnuts and the inner skin is still pale, it must be removed because it will be bitter. If the skin is brown, it may be left on.

1 1/2 cups pecan or walnuts
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup fine dry breadcrumbs
Salt
1 T chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

500g good quality spaghetti

1. Chop the nuts finely with a knife, or pulse in a food processor.
2. In a pan over low heat, warm half of the olive oil. Add the nuts, garlic and breadcrumbs and fry until the garlic is just golden, about 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt. Remove from the heat and mix in the remaining olive oil.
3. In a pot, bring ±4 litres salted water to a boil. Add the spaghetti and cook until al dente, ±11 minutes.
4. Drain and tip into a warm serving bowl (reserve ±1 cup of the cooking water to moisten the pasta if too dry).
5. Add the nut sauce to the spaghetti and toss well, moistening if necessary with the reserved cooking water. Sprinkle with the parsley and serve immediately.

Serves 6-8 as a starter or 4 as a main course

Wickedfood Cooking School

Sunninghill – (011) 234-3252sunninghill@wickedfood.co.za

Wickedfood cooking School runs cooking classes throughout the year at its purpose-built cooking studios. Classes are run in the mornings and evenings 7 days a week (subject to a minimum of 12 people). The venue is also popular for corporate events and private functions – team building cooking classes, birthdays, kitchen teas, and dinner parties with a difference.

Our classes are hands-on, where every person gets to participate in the preparation of the dishes. They are also a lot of fun where you not only learn new skills, but get to meet people with similar interests. For corporate groups and teambuilding cooking classes these classes are a novel way of creating staff interaction or entertaining clients.