This Sicilian cousin to the popular pesto alla Genovese is prepared with pinenuts, fresh basil, garlic, parmigiano-reggiano, course salt, ripe tomatoes, and olive oil. Traditionally, this pesto is prepared in a mortar, producing a chunky sauce with contrasting red and green colors.
Pesto alla Trapanese is most often paired with a home-made Sicilian pasta variety known as busiate, although it can be paired with other types of pasta such as spaghetti, linguine, or penne.
Ingredients
3 medium spoonfuls of pinenuts
2 handfuls of fresh basil
1/4 cup of parmigiano-reggiano
1 garlic clove
Pinch of course salt (to taste)
10-12 ripe cherry tomatoes
Steps
1. Bring pasta to a rolling boil and lightly salt the water - add Busiate pasta. It will take around 8-10 minutes to cook pasta
2. Roast pinenuts until they are golden brown
3. Crush pinenuts in mortar until it becomes a paste
4. Add basil, course salt, parmigiano-reggiano, garlic, and tomatoes to mortar in crush together
5. Add olive oil and stir in gently with spoon
6. Combine Pesto with cooked Busiate Pasta (save 2 oz of pasta water and combine)
7. Garnish with parmigiano-reggiano or if you want to make it creamy add fresh ricotta cheese, place 2 basil leaves on top and mangia!!
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