Thursday, November 30, 2017

Trapanese Pesto with Pasta

I was watching a cooking show called Milk Street on Public TV last Saturday.  They did a show on quick pestos to eat on pasta.  This one I tried and it is wonderful!  But having a food processor is a must to make it.

Trapanese Pesto

Ingredients

4 ounces whole, skin on almonds (about 1 cup)
1 pound grape or cherry tomatoes
1 ounce fresh basil leaves (1 cup lightly packed)
1 small garlic clove, grated
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
12 ounces short, sturdy pasta, such as rigatoni or gemelli
kosher salt and ground black pepper
1 ounce grated pecorino cheese (1/2 cup), plus more to serve

Directions

Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil.

Meanwhile, in a food processor, pulse the almonds until coarsely chopped.  Transfer the nuts to a bowl.

To the processor, add the tomatoes, basil, garlic and pepper flakes, then pulse until coarsely chopped.  Add the oil and pulse until incorporated, about 5 pulses.  Transfer to a large bowl.

Cook the pasta until al dente.  Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking water.  Toss the pasta and 3/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper with the tomato mixture.  If the sauce is too thick, add a bit of the reserved cooking water.  Stir in the reserved nuts and the cheese.

Taste, then season with salt and pepper.

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