Chilli crisp, as you probably know, is loaded with texture: crunchy bits of fried garlic, shallots and chilli, sometimes peanuts, suspended in oil, so you get crackle and depth as well as spice. It's a good addition to a classic basil pesto (umami-stacking). Lao Gan Ma is the jar most people know, and would work very well here, but we've made this with Woolf's Kitchen. Brands vary a lot, so taste yours first and scale up or down to suit.
We like the twists of trofie here, but any ridged shape - rigatoni, orecchiette - works just as well, catching all the bits in its folds. The sauce is ready in the time it takes for the pasta to boil.
| 1 tbsp | chilli crisp (we like Woolf’s Kitchen) |
| 1 | garlic clove |
| 20g | roasted and salted cashews |
| 40g | basil leaves, roughly torn |
| ¾ tsp | caster sugar |
| 20g | Parmesan, finely grated |
| 1 tbsp | olive oil |
| 1 tbsp | lemon juice |
| 80g | trofie pasta |
| Flaked sea salt | |
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