Pasta alla Trapanese (Sicilian Tomato Pesto)

Whenever we visit my wife, Michele’s, parents, my father-in-law, Al, always passes along a few local, Sacramento area magazines he’s saved for us. They’re usually recipes or food articles he thinks I may be interested in. In fact, sometimes he’ll do something people almost never do these days: He’ll actually walk to the post office and mail us the piece to read. Yes, just like before the Internet. 

We had lunch recently and he passed along a magazine with a feature on heirloom tomatoes. I read and enjoyed the article, but only skimmed the serving suggestions that were interspersed throughout. Luckily, Michele was paying much closer attention, and pointed out a picture of Pasta alla Trapanese, a dish I hadn’t yet posted on the channel. 

Notes From the Chef

 I started experimenting with Italy’s “other” pesto sauce, and I’m very excited to be sharing it with you. Here are some notes: 

  • You can use any type of ripe, summer tomatoes, but I think sweet, easy to find cherry tomatoes are the best choice. 
  • If you want to enjoy this like our Sicilian friends, you’ll need to find some “busiate,” but any similarly shaped pasta will do. 

No matter what you use, I love this easy, “raw” sauce, and really do hope you give it a try soon. Enjoy! 

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Pasta alla Trapanese (Sicilian Tomato Pesto)

(7)
white bowl of curly pasta with light red Trapanese sauce and basil sprig
Prep Time:
20 mins
Cook Time:
15 mins
Total Time:
35 mins
Servings:
8

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup whole roasted almonds

  • 4 cloves garlic

  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste

  • 1 cup grated pecorino Romano cheese, plus more to taste

  • 1 cup packed fresh basil leaves

  • 4 mint leaves (optional)

  • 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

  • 1 pound red cherry tomatoes or red grape tomatoes

  • 1 pound busiate pasta, or other curly shaped pasta, such as fusilli

Directions

  1. Bring about 2 cups of water to a boil, remove from the heat, and stir in almonds; let sit for 3 to 4 minutes. Drain, and once cool enough to handle, rub skins off with your hands; alternately; transfer drained almonds to a kitchen towel, then fold up the towel and rub almonds until skins come off. 

  2. Crush sliced garlic with kosher salt in a mortar and pestle into a smooth paste. Alternately, place garlic on a board and sprinkle kosher salt on top; use the flat side of the knife to flatten, mash, and scrape the garlic and salt mixture until it is a smooth paste.

  3. Add peeled almonds to the jar of a blender, followed by the cheese, basil, mint, garlic paste, oil, and tomatoes. Add the ingredients in this order, so that the almonds and cheese have a chance to grind before the wetter ingredients mix in.

  4. Begin to pulse blender on and off until almonds and cheese are ground, then continue to pulse until remaining ingredients are incorporated. Blend on high until the pesto is as coarse or smooth as you like. 

  5. Taste for salt, and adjust. Set aside while pasta is cooking. 

  6. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook busiate pasta in the boiling water, stirring occasionally, until tender yet firm to the bite, about 12 minutes. Transfer pasta into a bowl with a strainer. Reserve starchy cooking liquid. 

  7. Add about 1/3 cup of the pasta water into the bowl, and then transfer in the pesto, along with a large pinch of salt, and toss to coat. More pasta water can be added to adjust the texture. Once mixed, add another optional handful of cheese, and toss one last time. Serve immediately.

    white bowl of curly pasta with light red Trapanese sauce and basil sprig

    Chef John

Nutrition Facts (per serving)

312 Calories
21g Fat
22g Carbs
9g Protein
Nutrition Facts
Servings Per Recipe 8
Calories 312
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 21g 27%
Saturated Fat 4g 20%
Cholesterol 10mg 3%
Sodium 348mg 15%
Total Carbohydrate 22g 8%
Dietary Fiber 3g 10%
Total Sugars 2g
Protein 9g 18%
Vitamin C 9mg 10%
Calcium 147mg 11%
Iron 1mg 8%
Potassium 244mg 5%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

** Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data.

(-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.


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