A Perfect Pantry
Orecchiette with Creamy Walnut Sauce
Ahhh, Winter. I love this time of year. I love it for the warming slow-cooked braises and roasts, the zing of citrus, the feeling of hibernating in cosy warmth.
Because I love working with seasonally fresh foods, I enjoy winter’s unique ingredients. Right now, you can get local and fresh nuts of every type.
This recipe is full of flavour but doesn't have the artery-clogging richness that many cream-based sauces have and because it's so filling, you don't need to eat a huge portion to sustain you. In my books, the stodgy rib-sticking food of winter can wait for another day.
Orecchiette with Creamy Walnut Sauce
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
- 350g dried orecchiette or other short fat pasta that will hold a thick and chunky sauce
- 125g fresh walnut halves
- 2 cups coarsely chopped parsley
- 4 tbsp fresh or dried breadcrumbs
- 90g butter, softened
- ½ cup (125ml) olive oil
- ¼ cup (60ml) cream
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
* Nuts turn rancid quickly and sour everything they come into contact with. It's their high oil content that reacts to air that does this. So, buy only what you need for the meal you have in mind and try to buy them from a nut supplier out of a sack rather than a packet off a supermarket shelf.
DIRECTIONS
- Put a large stock pot filled with water on to boil.
- Place walnuts, parsley and breadcrumbs in the bowl of the X-Blade Pro stick blender and process until finely ground. Add butter and oil and blend to form a thick green paste. Season with salt and pepper, then add cream. Blitz for a few seconds more to combine.
- Put the pasta in the pot to cook and cook until it is al dente.
- Drain the cooked pasta and return to the pot to keep warm. Toss through the sauce and serve immediately. Save the cheese on top for another pasta meal.
Recipe created and shared by Sandra Reynolds
Sandra Reynolds has written over 1000 nutritious budget-friendly recipes for her blog The $120 Food Challenge, surviving unemployment payments and Aldi checkout lines along the way and turned personal adversity into a thriving blog.
Her first cookbook, The $120 Food Challengeis published by Penguin Viking and Sandra is now writing her second cookbook. She still shops at Aldi every week.
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12 August 2014
I would love this blender as it would make mincemeat out of chopping and blending.
I'd love to make Nasi Goreng (Indonesian fried rice). It's a comfort food to me, but it requires a lot of fine chopping. With this blender, I can cook this more often 
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13 August 2014
I’d make a morning breakfast smoothie to gulp as I rush out the door. Perfect for a quick and delicious way to get lots of vitamins, fibre and energy for the big day ahead
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14 August 2014
Oh how I would love to to win this! I currently have a cheap one from Kmart that just doesn't seem to do the job sometimes. Good luck everyone
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14 August 2014
A Blender is something im really needing in my kitchen as it would come in very handy. As the one my mother gave me is extremely old and has a mind of its own and only works when it wants to.
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14 August 2014
This would send my smoothies to the next level.
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15 August 2014
I'm a bit of a savoury gal and love to make dips to go with vegies, chips, biscuits - we try all different variations to come up with ones we love!
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15 August 2014
Mmmm, that looks delicious!
If I won the blender, the first thing I would makes is delicious peri peri chicken, with my home made peri peri marinade and sauce! Haven't made it in ages because my other blender died! -
15 August 2014
Yum, I would love that blender for little mixes like pesto and curry paste.
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16 August 2014
Gluten free sauces and dips would be a delight made with this amazing blender and wonderful ingredients fresh from my garden.
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17 August 2014
The Kambrook X-Blade would be great to cut through vegetables for soup, to get that creamy texture. I would make Curried Potato Tomato and Garlic soup - roasting the veges in the oven first really brings out their flavour.
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17 August 2014
Let's set the story - we all love a hand in the kitchen but my partner’s stoutness is helping cutting is a touch arduous. Let's support his desire to assist by letting him cut... but with a 'wham! bam!’ whizzbang!
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17 August 2014
Having just purchased Pete Evans' "Healthy Every Day" book as a step toward better health for my family, I would love a X-Blade Pro Stick Blender to make his sprouted seed bread.
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17 August 2014
Would love to win this to help with preparing my 10 month old sins food plus experiment with our family dinners
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17 August 2014
This looks amazing, I'll have to give it a try
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17 August 2014
My kids will only eat vegetables blended and disguised as pumpkin soup, so it feels like we are always whipping up a new batch. The Kambrook X-blade Pro stick blender would make life so much easier.
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18 August 2014
Looks delicious. I have worked it into next weeks meal plan. Looking forward to try it!
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18 August 2014
I love the look of this recipe. Our blender died recently and is sorely missed, I would use this stick blender every day for pasta sauce, home cooked meals, snacks and energy balls for the kids.
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18 August 2014
I nearly cried recently when my stick blender broke and I couldn't whizz up rocket pesto with the mountains of the stuff I have growing in my garden. I'm equally sad not to be able to whip up this gorgeous pasta dish or blend those wonderful winter soups. I would love to win a new one.
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18 August 2014
Imagine what I could do with this! I'd go on blender bender!
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The X-Blade Pro would help me whip up a greater variety of delicious nutritious meals for my sweet 9 mth old baby girl and still give me more time to play!!