This dish belongs to the same family as pasta con le mandorle: a sauce built from nuts, olive oil, and something creamy, with very little cooking involved. It is a Sicilian approach to weeknight pasta, where the pantry does the work. You toast the hazelnuts, loosen ricotta with pasta water, and bring them together at the last moment with a thread of lemon and a handful of basil.
Fusilli holds the sauce well. The spirals trap the ricotta and the hazelnut pieces in equal measure, so each forkful has both textures. If you are using a long pasta, roughly chop the hazelnuts finer so they stay on the strand.
The whole thing comes together faster than the water takes to boil, which is the point.
Set servings and units first. You can change them anytime.
Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil.
While the water heats, toast the hazelnuts in a small dry frying pan over medium heat, stirring frequently, for 3 to 4 minutes until fragrant and slightly darker. Tip onto a plate to cool.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the ricotta, olive oil, lemon zest, and a generous pinch of salt. Beat with a fork until smooth and creamy. Grate in the garlic clove directly over the bowl and mix through.
Cook the fusilli until al dente according to the package instructions. Before draining, ladle 1/2 cup of pasta cooking water into the ricotta mixture and whisk until loose and saucy.
Drain the pasta and add it immediately to the ricotta bowl. Toss vigorously to coat, adding a splash more cooking water if the sauce is too thick.
Add the toasted hazelnuts, a squeeze of lemon juice, and the basil leaves torn by hand. Toss once more and taste for salt. Serve immediately.
You made Pasta alle Nocciole e Ricotta. Time to eat.
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The garlic here is raw, grated directly into the ricotta rather than cooked in oil. It gives a sharper, more present flavour than the cooked version. If you want something gentler, bruise the clove and let it sit in the olive oil for 10 minutes before grating in.
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