Whoever said that pesto pasta is oily or tasteless is because they did not make it the way it should be. This delicious pasta is typical of Italy, the Ligurian or Ligurian Riviera as well as the zucchini stuffed with tuna.In this region that remains in Genoa is where the best basil is grown and therefore the best pesto in the world is made: the Pesto di Pra A delight! The original recipe is made with pine nuts but if you can’t get them you can add nuts and it gives the sauce the consistency and almost the same flavor … my mother said it and she was from there so I say it properly 🙂 the important thing is that it has some seed, once I made it with almonds and it was delicious!
Ingredients for the Pesto Pasta:
• Abundant basil (6 to 8 handfuls)
• 1 clove garlic
• 1/2 cup of Oil
• 1 handful of pine nuts or walnuts
• 1/2 cup of grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 heaping tablespoon butter
• A pinch of salt.
• 2 potatoes (for the pasta, not the sauce)
Preparation of the Pesto Sauce
We will add in the blender the cup of oil and the previously washed and drained basil leaves if any little flowers are gone, it does not matter The approximate proportion for this sauce is like this: for each cup of oil we fill the blender with basil leaves. Fill the blender to the top with the basil and add the handful of pine nuts or walnuts and begin to blend.
You may need to turn off the blender to stir with a spoon and turn it back on. If you notice that it does not blend well, you will need to add a little more oil little by little until you achieve it. The important thing is not to add too much oil because otherwise this delight loses all its magic.
Once blended, we place the pesto in a container and add the tablespoon of butter and the 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese and if you add Parmesan Reggiano, you will triumph!
Final preparation of the Pasta al Pesto:
What follows is to make the pasta … we all know how to make it. We put the water to boil and we will add a 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and the peeled potatoes and cut into 3 cm cubes. When it boils and the potatoes should be parboiled, add the pasta and cook until al dente (about 5 to 7 minutes). Strain well, return it to the pot and then add the pesto sauce that we have prepared.
Tip: Before adding the pesto to the pasta, I usually put two tablespoons of the same hot water in it and stir to dissolve the butter a little and emulsify all the ingredients
We stir everything very well, serve it hot and if you are a cheese lover like me add another little Parmesan cheese. A glass of red wine, a bread to accompany and buon appetito a tutti! Try the Pasta al Pesto with Asparagus and dried tomatoes
NOTE: The pesto sauce keeps very well in the fridge for weeks, but do not add the cheese or the butter for this, otherwise it becomes acidic. You add it when you are going to use it again by repeating the procedure, placing it in a container and dissolving it with two tablespoons of hot water.