Skillet Pesto Pasta with Shrimp and Pine Nuts

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup pine nuts
• 3 cups water
• 1/2 pound linguini, broken in half
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 10 to 12 cherry tomatoes, quartered
• 1 1/2 pounds medium or large shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 3/4 cup bails pesto, preferably homemade
• 1/2 cup fresh basil, roughly chopped

Directions

1. Add the pinenuts to a 12-inch skillet and set it over high heat. Cook them, stirring and tossing often, just until they are lightly golden, then move them to a bowl and keep them nearby.
2. Pour the water into a 12-inch skillet and bring it to a boil over high heat. Salt it generously, until it tastes like the sea, then add the linguine. Cook, stirring now and then, until the pasta is al dente, about 8 minutes. Drain the pasta, saving 1 cup of the pasta water, and place the pasta in a bowl. Toss it with 1/2 tablespoon olive oil and set it aside.
3. Clean out the skillet, then warm the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Add the tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, until they soften, 2 to 3 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Slide the tomatoes to one side of the pan, then add the shrimp and season both sides with salt and pepper. Cook until the shrimp are pink and opaque, about 4 minutes total, turning them once midway through.
4. Return the pasta to the skillet, then stir in the pesto and pinenuts until everything is evenly coated. Splash in the reserved pasta water little by little, using only as much as needed to loosen the sauce to the consistency you like. Taste and season with salt and pepper, spoon into warm serving bowls, finish with basil, and serve.