Spanish Saffron Trenette with Pesto, Tuscan-Style Green Beans with Walnut Oil and Almonds

As I mentioned in the middle of December, a good friend sent me some fine artisinal Pappardelle’s pasta; we enjoyed the lime cilantro linguine and today just loved the Spanish saffron trenette (linguine). She told me to let her know if she should send more - I definitely want more! The pasta tastes freshly made and has a richness of flavor.

I sampled a little bit of the pasta once it was cooked and was surprised how nicely the saffron flavor came through - and how the deep yellow color persisted. I decided to serve it simply, with a few pieces of roasted tomatoes marinated in herbs and oil, as well as marinated artichoke heart and a small dollop of homemade pesto sauce.

I also made green beans similarly to how we had them last year in Toscano. In my cast iron pan over medium heat, I cooked the beans, along with two cloves of marinated garlic, in walnut oil just for a few minutes till the beans turned a deeper green. At that point, I tossed in about a dozen almonds that I had split in half and cooked just another minute or so. I mixed in salt, black pepper, and (once in the serving plate; I didn't want to add the acidic lemon to the cast iron pan) a few drops of fresh lemon juice. I had never had beans with big chunks of almonds, though of course I've had almondines; the dish was still simple but good.

I recently found Nonni's brand "panetini", small toasted bread ideal for bruschetta. We commonly found these small breads in Italia during our visit last October. I served these "panetini"s as well as some guacamole that I had purchased. We both loved the meal!