Pasta with Trapanese pesto – Pasta con il pesto alla trapanese
Pasta with pesto alla trapanese is a typical dish of the province of Trapani, Sicily. It’s an antique dish and it seems having its origins from the Ligurian pesto. In the Trapani harbour in fact used to stop the Ligurian boats coming from the Orient, the Genoese sailors brought with the tradition of their pesto. The sailors from Trapani re-elaborated the recipe using the ingredients of their land: tomatoes, almonds and basil. It was once an artigianal product but now it has also been produced at an industrial level and named pesto alla siciliana.
This sauce is so good when it’s home made that I wouldn’t even try to buy it ready. It’s really easy and fast to prepare the perfect dish for a hot summer day. It’s even better if you have fresh ripe tomatoes from your garden or you get them from the farmer’s market.
Ingredients:
1 lbs. spaghetti or a short pasta of your choice
8-10 ripe plum tomatoes (about 2 lbs.)
a fistful of fresh basil (about 3/4 cup loosely packed)
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic
10 almonds or 2 Tbsp. pine nuts
1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper
salt to taste
Instructions:
1. Bring a pot of water to a boil and then put the tomatoes in a couple at a time for a 15 to 30 seconds. Remove them and then peel them.
2. After you’ve peeled the tomatoes cut them in half lengthwise. Remove the stem, seeds and let any excess juice drip away.
3. Chop the tomatoes and put them in a food processor along with the rest of the ingredients. Slice the garlic thinly before adding it.
4. Blend for about 45 to 60 seconds or until the almonds (or oine nuts) are broken down into tiny pieces.
5. In the mean time prepare the spaghetti.
6. When the spaghetti are ready combine them with the sauce and serve.
7. Optionally you can drain the spaghetti add a spoon or two of olive oil, mix and let it cool to room temperature. Then add the sauce just before serving.
Notes:
You can prepare this sauce in advance and keep it in the the refrigerator.
