Tyler "Twofer": Angel Hair Pasta with Pesto and Ripped Baguette with Garlic-Parsley Butter

I have had a semi-crazy week so was looking for a very quick and low-effort dish for Tyler Florence Fridays. I found two; Angel Hair Pasta with Pesto and a Ripped Baguette with Garlic-Parsley Butter and since they both sounded so good, I combined them into one dinner, with some shrimp from "The Silver Palate Cookbook". Served with a small side salad it was a delicious and easy meal.

Both recipes came from the Food Network, "How to Boil Water" and can be found at the FN site, (pasta and baguette).

Angel Hair Pasta with Pesto

Tyler Florence

(Serves 4-6 as a side dish)

Leaves from 2 bunch fresh basil
2 tablespoons pine nuts, untoasted
1 garlic clove
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 pound angel hair pasta

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for the pasta. Combine the basil, pine nuts, garlic, and olive oil in a blender and blend to a puree. Add the cheese, salt and pepper, and blend again.

Cook the pasta in the boiling, salted water until al dente, about 3 minutes. Drain and transfer to a large bowl. Add the pesto and toss. Taste for salt and pepper, and add a drizzle of oil, if you like.

And now the Ripped Baguette:

Ripped Baguette with Garlic Parsley Butter

Tyler Florence

(4 Servings)

5 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
1 to 2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 baguette

Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until it softens but does not brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Let cool. Then stir this garlic butter into the remaining butter in a small bowl. Stir in the parsley, olive oil, salt, and pepper.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.  Rip open the baguette lengthwise, so that it opens like a book but is not ripped entirely in half. Smear the inside of the baguette with the garlic butter. Wrap the baguette in aluminum foil and bake until heated through, 10 to 12 minutes.

Notes/Results: Very good. The pesto is pretty much your basic pesto, a simple classic recipe. I used half a package of fresh angel hair pasta and just did a half batch of the pesto and it was plenty. The bread is delicious, but how can you go wrong with the basics of garlic, butter and parsley? As all garlic bread, it is pretty terrific when eaten warm from the oven. For the bread I also did a half batch, using a mini-baguette, and lightened the amount of butter and upped the amount garlic a bit. I would make both recipes again--especially the bread. 

You can see which Tyler dishes the rest of the group picked and find out what they thought about them at the TFF round-up here.