Pasta with Olives and Citrus Zest

The pasta dish takes only a few minutes to prepare.

½ tsp. coarse sea salt
8 oz dried pappardelle, or other long, flat pasta
16 Kalamata olives, pitted
½ cup fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp. fresh thyme leaves
1 lemon, freshly zested, coarsely chopped
1-3" strip orange zest, coarsely chopped
¼ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add salt and pappardelle, and cook until pasta is al dente, about 7-8 minutes. Drain in a colander, reserving 1 cup pasta water.

While pasta is cooking, combine olives, parsley, olive oil, thyme, lemon zest, orange zest, and red-pepper flakes in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Pulse until a chunky purée forms. Transfer to a warm serving bowl large enough to accommodate cooked pasta.

Add pasta, and toss to combine. Add ¼ cup cooking water, and toss to combine. Add more water if necessary, pappardelle has a tendency to absorb liquid quickly, so more water may be needed. The sauce should cling to ribbons of pasta but should not be dry.

Serve immediately.

Makes 2 servings.