Creamy Ricotta and Pesto Linguine
-creamy herb-packed dish for all those pasta cravings
​​​by priti malhotra

Priti learned to cook under the tutelage of her mother, an excellent cook,  who was ahead of her times, experimenting with recipes and ingredients that were not staple in Indian kitchens at that time. For example, she made taco shells from scratch, when very few around knew what a “taco” was. Priti, through osmosis, absorbed her passion for creativity and stellar food presentation.
Now, Priti creates easy to follow, non-fussy, vegetarian and plant based recipes, melding the traditional with the new. She is always on a look out to try new ingredients, oils, spices, and to create something different, adapt and merge together food from different cultures. When she entertains friends, she likes to display, on her kitchen island, attractive bite-sized foods  that go well with wine.  Priti also enjoys exploring off-the-grid bars, wineries, coffee shops and restaurants and soak in everything that her beautiful town and state has to offer.

Any one has leftover vegan ricotta that we made earlier for our pasta shells, or any other dish? This recipe is a great way of using that leftover ricotta, that I had stored in the freezer. A quick zap in the microwave, and its ready to use. 

Serves 2

Parsley Pesto
1 cup loosely packed Italian Parsley leaves
2 cloves garlic
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 tbsp. toasted pine nuts
1-2 tbsp. water
1 tsp.salt
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes

Vegan Ricotta
1/2 Organic Firm Tofu, pressed
10 Cashews, soaked for at least 4 hours
1 tbsp. Nutritional Yeast
2 cloves Garlic
Juice of 1/2 Lemon
1/2 tsp Lemon zest
1/2 tsp Salt
Black Pepper, to taste
1 tsp. Italian Seasoning or other spices of choice

1/2 packet Linguine / Spaghetti 
1 tsp. toasted pine nuts for garnish
few parsley leaves for garnish

To make the Vegan Ricotta, combine all the ingredients listed under “Vegan Ricotta” in a food processor. This can be made a day in advance, if you like.

To make the pesto, combine all the ingredients listed under "Parsley Pesto” in a food processor. Adjust, oil, water and salt to your liking. Combine about 1/2 cup of the ricotta to the pesto and keep aside.

Meanwhile bring a large pot of water to a roaring boil. Add a teaspoon of salt. Carefully put in the dry pasta. Give it a stir and let it cook according to the package instructions, usually 7-10 minutes. Once it is done, reserve half a cup of the pasta liquid, and drain the linguine in a colander. 
Toss the drained pasta back to the pot, mix in the pesto-ricotta mixture. Add a teaspoon of salt, based on your preference. 
Add a little bit of the reserved pasta water to achieve a creamy consistency. Sprinkle a few red chili flakes, optional.

Plate it in pasta bowls, sprinkle with a few toasted pine nuts, and parsley leaves.