Toasted Walnut Thyme Pasta

Ever since Oba! became one of my favorite restaurants I have wanted to learn how they make the walnut sauce they use on top of their enchiladas. That was sort of where I started when I made this pasta sauce last week, although it definitely wasn't the same as what they use for those enchiladas it was really quite good! Once again I never measure or write down what I do, but I will try my best to describe it here!

Toasted Walnut Thyme Pasta
1 c. walnuts, toasted
1 c. cream or half-and-half
1 head of garlic
1/4 c. grated parmesan
1 Tbs thyme
Zest of 1 lemon + 1 tsp juice
Salt + Pepper
1/2 lb pasta, cooked
Extra walnuts, thyme, cheese, and lemon zest for garnish

Roast the garlic  - chop off the top 1/4 or so of the head (enough to expose the top of all the cloves), drizzle with olive oil, wrap in foil and bake for 30 minutes at 400 degrees. Set aside and allow to cool. Puree the toasted walnuts in a food processor until you have a fine crumb consistency. Add in all of the cloves of roasted garlic and pulse several times. Warm the cream in the microwave for a minute or so, then slowly drizzle into the walnut/garlic mixture - blend until smooth. Add in the cheese, thyme, lemon zest, and juice - continue to blend until you reach the consistency you want. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Boil the pasta and save some of the pasta water to help thin out the sauce once it is all tossed together - I added about a half cup back in with mine. Toss the sauce with the pasta and top with extra nuts, cheese, thyme, and lemon.

Enjoy!

-C