I'm a big fan of pasta and big fan of pesto too. Even more, I'm a big fan of one-dish meals, especially during the summer when none of us want to waste time in the kitchen. Today's recipe is one of those that except for the linguini you don't even have to cook anything and it uses seasonal ingredients such as fresh basil and ripe tomatoes.
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This is a variation of the classic basil and pine nuts pesto or pesto alla Genovese. It's called pesto alla tTapanese and it's originally from Trapani in Sicilia, Italy, where they substitute pine nuts for almonds and add fresh tomatoes. The best part, besides the flavor, is that you can fix dinner in about 10 minutes including the time you cook the pasta. Here is my recipe. I know you will love it!
Linguini with Pesto alla Trapanese
Makes 6 servings
Ingredients
1 package of linguini
2 cups of basil leaves
3 garlic cloves pressed with the blade of a knife
½ cup of sliced almonds
2 ripe tomatoes, peeled and diced
½ cup of extra virgin olive oil
Salt
¼ cup of grated pecorino cheese
Preparation
Put the water for the pasta to boil.
In a food processor, process the basil, almonds, garlic, tomatoes and salt to taste. While processing, add the olive oil and process until everything is combined, but kind of chunky.
Pour the pesto in a bowl, add the cheese and mix well. You may need to add some more olive oil.
In the meantime, cook the pasta and once it's al dente, strain it, and let some fresh water run on top to stop cooking. Strain again.
In a big bowl mix the pesto with the pasta. If the pasta looks dry, add some of the pasta water.
Serve with extra pecorino.
More of my recipes on my cooking blog.
Image via Enriqueta Lemoine
