Trofie al Pesto · Trofie al Pesto alla Genovese
Liguria · pasta · serves 4 · 35 min total · easy
Pesto is a 19th-century Genoese refinement of a much older Ligurian sauce. Basil only from Pra' near Genoa is DOP.
Ingredients
- 400 g trofie pasta (or trenette)
- 60 g young Genovese basil leaves
- 30 g pine nuts
- 2 cloves garlic
- 60 g Parmigiano Reggiano
- 20 g Pecorino Sardo
- 120 ml Ligurian olive oil
- 1 medium waxy potato
- 120 g green beans
- 1 pinch coarse salt
Method
- Pesto: in a marble mortar, crush garlic with a pinch of coarse salt. Add pine nuts, grind to paste. Add basil leaves a handful at a time and crush — turn the wrist, do not pound. Work in the cheeses, then trickle in olive oil while stirring. Never use a blade if you can help it — it bruises the basil and turns it black.
- Cube the potato. Top and tail the beans, cut into 3 cm lengths.
- Boil salted water. Add potato cubes first (3 minutes), then beans (2 minutes), then trofie. Cook until trofie are al dente.
- Reserve a mug of pasta water. Drain the pasta and vegetables.
- Loosen pesto with a small splash of pasta water in a wide bowl. Add pasta and vegetables, toss off heat. The sauce should coat in pale green silk.
- Plate immediately. No extra cheese.