Pasta Con Pesto Siciliano Recipes

SICILIAN PESTO SPAGHETTI

Steps:

• Cook the pasta in a large saucepan with plenty of boiling salted water until al dente.
• While the pasta is cooking, place the almonds in a frying pan over a medium heat and toast until golden brown all over. Set aside to cool.
• Place the basil and sun-dried tomatoes in a food processor with the garlic.
• As you start to blitz, pour in enough oil to create a smooth paste.
• Add the almonds and continue to blitz until creamy. Add more oil if necessary.
• Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and use a fork to fold in the Parmesan cheese.
• Season with salt & pepper and set aside.
• Drain the cooked pasta well and tip into the bowl with the pesto. Mix everything together for 30 seconds to allow the pesto to coat the spaghetti.
• Serve immediately, with a few basil leaves scattered on top.
• Enjoy!

PESTO PASTA

Steps:

• For the walnut pesto: In a food processor, combine the arugula, basil, Parmesan, walnuts, garlic, lemon zest and juice, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and pulse to blend. With the machine running, pour in the olive oil in a steady stream and process until smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Taste and adjust the salt and pepper if needed. Set aside. For the pasta: Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add salt. Add the pasta and cook until tender, stirring occasionally, about 11 minutes or according to the package directions. Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid.
• In the meantime, heat a large saute pan over medium heat. Melt 1 tablespoon butter, add the olive oil and then stir in the sliced onions. Season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring frequently, until the onions begin to brown or caramelize, about 10 minutes.
• In the same pan, melt the remaining tablespoon of butter and add the mushrooms. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender and brown, about 5 minutes.
• Add the drained pasta to the pan, along with the walnut pesto, Parmesan, lemon juice and reserved cooking liquid. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with the roasted red peppers, lemon zest and Parmesan.

PASTA CON IL PESTO ALLA TRAPANESE (TOMATO AND ALMOND PESTO)

Steps:

• Cover the almonds with boiling water for a few minutes to loosen their skins, then slip them off with your fingers when they are cool enough to handle. Try not to cut corners and use ready blanched almonds, as nuts quickly lose their flavour without their protective skins. Toast the almonds in a non-stick frying pan, stirring frequently for a few minutes until they are pale gold.
• Whizz the basil, garlic and a little coarse sea salt in a food processor and tip into a large bowl. Process the almonds, again with a little salt, using the pulse button, until they're the size of small grains of rice.
• Peel the tomatoes, de-seed by halving and squeezing over the sink, then chop into medium dice. Mix the tomatoes and the almonds into the basil and garlic, add the grated cheese and olive oil and mix well. Taste and season with pepper and - only if needed - a little salt.
• Boil the pasta in the usual way, taking care to keep it very al dente, especially if you are planning to serve it cold. The Sicilians are probably the most fussy of all Italians about pasta, and they are very quick to declare it scotta, which means overcooked. To judge when to drain the pasta, cut a piece of pasta open: when it has a tiny uncooked white speck at the centre, drain it. It will be perfectly cooked all the way through by the time you serve it.
• Drain the pasta but reserve a couple of ladles of the pasta water. Tip the pasta into the bowl with the pesto and mix it gently but quickly, so that the melting cheese is well distributed. Add a little pasta water if necessary so the sauce lightly coats each pasta corkscrew. The pasta can be served now, lukewarm, or at room temperature, but don't chill, as this dulls the heady aromas which are the joy of this dish.