This pesto is from the Trapani region of Sicily. You will notice the difference from a Genoese pesto…almonds are used rather than pine nuts. AND ripe garden tomatoes give this a wonderfully fresh taste. It is soooo easy to make! And full of fresh flavor. We hope that you will consider this one of your go-to recipes!
Ingredients
- 500 g pasta.
- 250 g fresh tomatoes, peeled & diced (About 6 tomatoes)
- 1-3 cloves garlic
- 1 bunch of fresh basil
- 100 g blanched almonds
- 40-50 g Parmesan cheese
- 3-5 TBSP olive oil
Preparation
1. Put a pot of water over high heat for cooking the pasta.
2. Meanwhile prepare the pesto: in a food processor (or use a mortar & pestle) add: garlic, basil, almonds, Parmesan cheese and olive oil. Blend until a rough-chopped paste is formed.
3. In a bowl, combine the pesto with the diced tomatoes.
4. Cook the pasta to al dente. Drain. Return the pasta to the pot, or turn into a serving dish. Coat the pasta with a little of the pesto to keep the pasta from sticking. Serve and top each portion with a generous amount of pesto.
Sara’s notes:
(1) To blanch the almonds: put raw almonds into a coffee mug & pour boiling water to cover them. After one minute (no longer or they will become soggy) drain and rinse in cold water. You will be able to pop the skin off easily.
(2) You can toast the blanched almonds in a hot skillet. Cool before adding to the pesto. I prefer the flavor of raw blanched almonds. But, see what you like!!
(3) Pasta: The Trapanese style shown in the ingredient photo above is the traditional way this pesto is served in Sicily. You can use whatever shape you prefer. But a short, twisted pasta grabs the pesto well.
(4) Fresh pesto can be stored in refrigerator up to 3 days.
Optional serving suggestion:
There is restaurant in Trapani where we love eating this pasta! They serve the pasta on top of sliced, fried eggplant! 😋. Just slice a medium sized eggplant in 1/2” (1cm) slices. Pan fry in a little sunflower or canola oil. Lightly salt them as they drain on paper towels. Prepare the eggplant first, and then proceed with recipe as described above. To serve, put eggplant slices on dish and top with pasta.
Have you tried preparing this recipe?? Please leave a reply below to let us now what you think…