Pasta with Spicy Almond Pesto

We have discovered a new favorite!  I picked this originally for my husband.  He loves all kind of nuts, and now that we know that my daughter's peanut allergy is non existent, (YAY!) I am trying to put nuts back in our diet.  I have been putting this one off because  A) the almond butter was $15 (yikes) and I wasn't sure I would really dig it.  I liked it WAY more than I thought I would.  I was telling my husband that since I used so very little of the jar of almond butter, I needed to look for more recipes that use it.  He nixed that right away.  He said we can make this one more often! I have to say, it is super fast.  I had the sauce done before the pasta had cooked.  (I set the water to boil when I started)  Also, I didn't start diner until the boys were already on their way back from the soccer fields (10 minutes away) and I was done before the boy was dressed after his shower.  Delicious and quick!!  Perfect.  I do think it needs most of the pasta water; it was pretty thick with out it.

Pasta With Spicy Almond Pesto
3/4 lb fettuccine
3/4 c  extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 c  sage leaves
1    large garlic clove,mashed to a paste
1/4 c  almond butter
1    scallion,minced
1/2 t  finely grated lemon zest
Large pinch of crushed red pepper
1/2 c  freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1.In a pot of salted boiling water, cook the pasta until al dente;
drain,   reserving 3/4 cup of the cooking water. Meanwhile, in a small
skillet, heat 1/2 cup of the olive oil until shimmering. Fry the sage
leaves over moderate heat, turning occasionally, until crisp. Drain the
sage on paper towels, then chop half of the leaves.
2.Combine the chopped sage, garlic, almond butter, remaining 1/4 cup of
oil, scallion, zest, red pepper and all but 2 tablespoons of the cheese.
Toss the pasta with the pesto; add the pasta water as necessary to
make a creamy sauce. Season with salt and pepper. Top with the
remaining cheese and whole sage leaves and serve.
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