Use your favorite pasta (mine is linguine) and your favorite nuts (I like walnuts) for this easy, but unexpectedly rich, dish--pasta sauce made with nuts! Different nuts also combine well with flavored pastas for unique flavor combinations: try lemon pasta with almonds, carrot pasta with cashews, or spinach pasta with Brazil nuts.

Ingredients

• 12 oz. pasta
• 2 cups nut meats, such as almonds, Brazil nuts, cashews, filberts, pecans or walnuts
• 5 cloves garlic
• 1/4 cup butter
• ¼ cup olive oil
• ½ cup Parmesan or Romano cheese, freshly grated
• Additional coarsely chopped nuts, grated cheese and chopped fresh parsley for garnish, if desired

Preparation
Cook pasta as directed, until al dente. While pasta is cooking, use a food processor or blender to combine the nut meats and enough hot water from the cooking pasta to make a stiff paste. Add the garlic, butter, olive oil and cheese. Blend, adding additional hot water as needed to make a smooth, thick sauce.

Drain pasta. Pour sauce over pasta and toss until well-coated. Place on individual serving plates, garnish and serve immediately.

Makes 4 to 6 servings.