Roasted Garlic Spinach Pesto with Toasted Peanuts

Steps

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
2. Set the garlic cloves on a small square of foil, drizzle with one-quarter of the olive oil, and wrap tightly into a packet.
3. Roast the garlic packet for 25 to 30 minutes, until the cloves are golden and very soft.
4. During the last 6 minutes, spread the peanuts on a small baking tray and toast them in the oven beside the garlic until fragrant and a shade darker.
5. Let the garlic and peanuts cool for 10 minutes.
6. In a food processor or blender, pulse the toasted peanuts until finely chopped.
7. Add the roasted garlic with any oil from the foil, the spinach, the basil, the parmesan, the lime juice, the red pepper flakes and the salt, and pulse to a coarse paste.
8. With the machine running, pour in the remaining three-quarters of the olive oil, then the water, blending until smooth and spoonable.
9. Toss the pesto with hot pasta off the heat, loosening with a splash of the pasta's cooking water if needed. Refrigerate leftovers, covered, up to 4 days.