Basil pesto pasta, without a hot sauce pan

La Mia Liguria describes pesto with basil, garlic, pine nuts, hard cheese and olive oil, served with pasta including trofie and trenette. Our quantities are our own home-kitchen version, not a certified recipe for pesto genovese.

4 people, main course · Preparation: 15 min · Cooking: 25 min

Times are guidelines; preheat during preparation where possible. Allow extra time to cool food before storing it.

Equipment

Saucepan, colander, mortar and pestle, grater, large mixing bowl

Ingredients

• 320 g dried pasta
• 50 g fresh basil leaves
• 4 g garlic, peeled
• 30 g pine nuts
• 50 g finely grated Parmesan
• 20 g finely grated pecorino
• 80 ml extra virgin olive oil
• 2 g salt for the pesto
• 3000 ml cooking water
• 15 g salt for the cooking water

Method

1. Wash the basil and pat it thoroughly dry. Finely chop the garlic. Grind the garlic and pine nuts in the mortar. Add the basil and 2 g salt in batches and grind to a coarse paste.
2. Stir both cheeses and the oil into the basil mixture. Transfer the pesto to a large mixing bowl; do not heat it separately.
3. Bring 3 litres of water to the boil with 15 g salt. Cook the pasta until al dente according to the packet, about 10–12 minutes. Reserve 150 ml cooking water just before draining.
4. Drain the pasta and immediately toss with the pesto. Add 50 ml cooking water first, then another 25 ml at a time as needed until the sauce clings to the pasta without becoming watery. Divide between four plates.

Storage

Cool leftovers within 2 hours and refrigerate in a covered container at 4 °C. Eat within 2 days. Reheat a stored portion once until piping hot throughout.

Allergens

Contains wheat (gluten) and milk. Pasta may contain egg; the packet gives the product-specific information. Pine nuts can also cause allergic reactions.

Our own version based on the cited regional sources. Not test-cooked by the editorial team; timings are a guide and the stated doneness is decisive.

Sources & image credits →