Pasta with Tomato Pesto
I can’t think of a single person in the world who does not love pesto, that herby basil and cheese sauce that goes onto pasta, pizza, grilled meats, or even taking a spoonful out of the tub? I mean, how bad can that be? However, when I found out that there’s a Sicilian-style pesto that features tomatoes and almonds, I knew I had to check it out.
Come with me to the city of Trapani as we make pasta alla Trapanese for a unique spin on a classic Genovese pesto that will be out of this world.
Pasta Alla Trapanese
Serves 2
2 plum tomatoes
6 ounces of Fusili or rotini pasta. (classic recipes for this dish call for a type of long macaroni called busiati, but it’s a bit hard to find so you can use the two pasta shapes mentioned.)
Salt
3 1/2 ounces (roughly 1/3 cup) of almonds
2 ounces of fresh basil leaves (about two large bunches), plus 1 tablespoon of sliced basil leaves for garnish.
1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup of grated pecorino romano, plus more for garnish.
Step 1: Bring a pot of water to a boil and fill a small bowl with ice water.
Step 2: Make a cross-cut on the plum tomatoes, then blanch them for about 30 seconds to loosen the skins, then transfer the tomatoes to the ice water to shock. Once the tomatoes are cool enough to handle, peel back the skins, cut them in half, and give them a light squeeze to remove the seeds. (this technique is called concase and it’s a very classic way to prepare tomatoes. If you’re lazy then two canned whole tomatoes will work just as well.)
In the same water used to blanch the tomatoes, season with a generous amount of salt, then add the pasta and cook according to the directions on the package for al dente.
While the pasta cooks, dump the tomatoes, basil, almonds, and a pinch of salt into a food processor (or a mortar and pestle), then pulse until everything is finely chopped. Slowly add the olive oil and pulse until the pesto becomes a smooth texture.
Once the pasta is cooked, save about 1/2 cup of the cooking water then drain and dump it into a hot frying pan with generous spoonfuls of that wonderful pesto. (Actually, I just dumped it into the same pot that I used to cook the pasta. The way I see it is the fewer dishes to wash, the better.)
Cook for a minute or two, or until the sauce coats the pasta, then add the grated pecorino and stir until melted. (You could blend the cheese into the pesto, but I like that extra creaminess you get when you add it at the end) Season with salt to taste, add more pasta water if the sauce is too thick, then serve, topping with sliced basil and more pecorino.
Not only is this a classic Sicilian dish, not only does this come together in about as long as it takes to cook the pasta, but it is to die for!
That mild sweetness from the tomatoes blends perfectly with the creamy almonds, the salty pecorino, and that basil, although I don’t think it’s a surprise that tomatoes and basil taste great together. It’s a great-tasting dish, and I highly recommend that you try making it if you haven’t.
