Infused Pappardelle Pesto Pasta

This dish WON in the Entree Round of the Elevated Eight Virtual Cannabis Cook-Off hosted by Elevate Jane and Smoke Sip Savor. 

How to Make Weed Pasta

"Weed" pasta or if you want to get specific and be fancy: handmade cannabis leaf pressed pappardelle pasta. The leaves and flowers are a beautiful decoration and adds a subtle flavor and barely noticeable texture when rolled to the thinnest setting. This handmade pasta is made using flour, eggs, infused olive oil, fresh cannabis leaves, and edible flowers. Fresh pasta is so beautiful, silky smooth and worth the effort to make. It cooks much faster than dried pasta, just a quick one or two-minute flash in boiling water.

This is a great way to use up cannabis fan leaves and eat your nutrients. Cannabis leaves taste a bit like spicy grass and contain little to no THC, which means it will not make you feel high. The benefits of eating raw cannabis are that they contain cannabinoid acids, vitamins, and antioxidants including folate, iron, calcium, vitamin K, and vitamin C.

You'll need a KitchenAid Pasta Attachment, Hand Crank Pasta Machine, or a rolling pin plus patience to make this pasta from scratch. The effort will be worth it, I promise!

You might like my Cannabis Leaf Lime Sweet Rolls that uses chopped cannabis leaves in the sticky bun dough recipe and swirled with lime curd. 

Cannabis Leaf and Pistachio Pesto Sauce

This pesto uses ground pistachios instead of traditional pine nuts and cannabis leaves in place of basil. If you don’t have cannabis leaves, feel free to omit and substitute with all fresh basil leaves instead.

The buttery, sweet earthy flavor of pistachio pairs well with the grassy flavor of cannabis leaves and sweet basil. A squeeze of lemon, clove of garlic, and salty parmesan cheese brings it all together into a zesty sauce that’s perfect for spring cooking.

How to Infuse Olive Oil*

Making your own infused olive oil? Strains that pair well with pesto would have a lemon-y flavor, and/or be high in limonene or caryophyllene, such as Lemon Haze. I made mine using a LEVO infusion machine.

Cannabis Dosing

For easy and exact dosing, purchase infused olive oil from brands such as Potli or Pot d’Huile and add the exact dose you’d like. We recommend starting at 5mg per serving.

Can I Omit the Cannabis?

Yes, absolutely! Just use all basil leaves for the pesto and use regular olive oil. You could press soft herbs like sage or basil leaves into the pasta dough instead of cannabis leaves.

Buy Stuff

LEVO Infusion Machine (use my code "BWC" to get a 10% discount)

KitchenAid Pasta Attachment

Hand Crank Pasta Machine

Ninja Food Processor

Get The Recipe

Infused Papparadelle Pesto Pasta

Handmade pappardelle pasta pressed with cannabis leaves and edible flowers, tossed in ricotta cheese, peas, mint, cannabis leaf pesto with Super Lemon Haze infused olive oil, and lemon zest. Made using infused olive oil.

Makes 4 small servings

Dosing: 5 mg per serving (20 mg total)*

INGREDIENTS:

Cannabis Leaf Pistachio Pesto

• 1/4 cup pistachio

• 1 clove garlic

• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

• 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves

• 1 1/2 cup cannabis leaves, stems removed

• 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice

• 1/8 teaspoon coarse salt

• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper

• 1/2 cup infused olive oil*

Pasta Dough

• 64 grams (1/2 cup) unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for kneading and dusting

• 60 grams (1/2 cup) semolina flour

• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

• 1 whole large egg

• 2 large egg yolks

• 1 tablespoon infused olive oil*

• For decoration:

  • 15-20 edible organic flowers

  • 15-20 small/medium sized Cannabis leaves or basil leaves

For Pasta Dish

• 1 cup green peas, cooked and blanched

• 1/2 cup ricotta cheese

• Lemon zest from 1 lemon

• Handful of mint leaves, chiffonade

• Salt and pepper, to taste

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Make Cannabis Leaf Pesto: put pistachio nuts, garlic clove, parmesan cheese, basil leaves, and cannabis leaves (with stems removed) into a food processor. Blend until pulverized. Slowly drizzle in the infused olive oil while the food processor is on until it turns into a creamy paste. Add in lemon juice, salt and pepper, and blend to finish. Set aside.

2. Make Pasta Dough: On a flat work surface, pour the all-purpose flour and semolina flour into a pile and mix together. All-purpose flour can be used as a substitute for semolina flour. Using your fingers, make a well/hole in the center of your flour pile so it looks like a donut. Crack eggs into the well and pour in olive oil. Use a fork to carefully stir and mix the eggs and flour together bit by bit. Use your hands to keep the runny egg mixture in the center. When it forms a shaggy dough, use your hands to squeeze and knead the dough together. The dough should feel soft and slightly sticky but not dry. If the dough feels too dry, add a little bit of olive oil to moisten the dough. Knead for 5 minutes until soft and smooth. Cover with plastic wrap and let the dough rest for at least an hour or overnight.

3. Roll Pasta Dough: Take your pasta dough and cut into four even chunks. Take one piece, cover the other three so they don’t dry out. Lightly flour a work surface and using a pasta machine, roll your pasta into a smooth flat sheet. If you don’t have a pasta machine or the KitchenAid pasta attachment, you can use a rolling pin to hand roll into thin sheets. Lightly dust the work surface and pasta dough with flour to prevent sticking.

4. Press Flowers Into Pasta Dough: Lay one flat sheet of pasta down on a floured work surface. Gently press edible flowers and leaves onto the dough. Take a second flat sheet of pasta and place on top of the first, sandwiching the flowers and leaves between the pasta dough. Lift and run the pasta dough through the pasta machine again to flatten and press the florals into the dough.

5. Cut Pasta Dough Into Pappardelle: Sprinkle flour on the pasta sheet and gently fold on top of itself, like an accordion or zigzag. Use a sharp knife to cut the pasta into 1-1.5 inch thick ribbons. Lift the ends of the pasta up and shake it out to get long pasta ribbons. Place into little piles like “nests” and cover lightly with a cloth until ready to cook. Repeat with remaining dough.

To dry the pasta, let it sit out uncovered until completely dry. Store in an airtight container in the fridge until ready to use.

6. Cook Pasta: Bring a pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Cook pasta in boiling water for a minute or two until soft. Fresh pasta cooks much faster than dried. Lift pasta out of the water with a pair of tongs and into a large bowl.

7. Make the Dish: Gently toss the cooked pasta with pesto and ricotta cheese along with a little pasta water to help make a silky sauce. Transfer pasta into individual bowls/plates. Garnish with peas, lemon zest, salt and pepper.

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