This healthy and tasty dish features authentic Pesto Genovese served with trofie pasta, potatoes and fresh green beans. It is a traditional dish associated with Pesto Genovese in Italy.
1 ¾ozpecorino cheesefreshly grated; pecorino 'sardo' (from Sardegna) is traditional here, if you can find it!
1 ¾ozParmigiano Reggiano cheesefreshly grated
2clovesgarlicmashed into a paste
2pinchcoarse salt
1 ¾ozpine nuts
3 ¾tbspolive oilextra virgin
Veggies and Pasta
½lbpotatoesyellow
5ozfresh green beans(or frozen) ends removed
18ozpastatrofie (or gemelli or fusilli)
Instructions
Prepare the Vegetables
Peel and cut the potatoes into bite-sized pieces. Cut the green beans into bite size pieces. If using fresh green beans, remove the ends of the green beans as well.
½ lb potatoes
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the chopped potatoes and cook until almost done (tender).
Add the green beans and cook until they are tender but slightly crisp: about 5 more minutes.
5 oz fresh green beans
Transfer drained potatoes and green beans immediately to the ice bath (optional). Blanching with the ice water helps to preserve the color of the green beans. When cool, drain the vegetables and set aside.
Make the Pesto
To the chilled mortar (bowl) add: fresh garlic cloves and salt.Mash the ingredients until you have a paste. Don't 'pound' with the pestle. Rather, press and move the pestle in circles to grind and mash.
2 cloves garlic, 2 pinch coarse salt
Add around half of the pine nuts to the mashed garlic. Crush the pine nuts into a paste.
1 ¾ oz pine nuts
Add the fresh basil leaves, a handful at a time. Add a few more pine nuts with each handful of basil to help provide friction for mixing.
2 oz fresh basil
Finish adding the basil and mashing it.
Mix in a little of the olive oil. Then add the (finely grated) Parmigiano and Pecorino cheeses, a handful at a time.
1 ¾ oz pecorino cheese, 1 ¾ oz Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
Add the rest of the olive oil and mix to combine. Continue mixing until you've made a smooth and creamy paste. Salt to taste if needed.
3 ¾ tbsp olive oil
Finish with Pasta
Cook the pasta according to package instructions. Drain. Combine the pesto with the pasta, potatoes and green beans. Serve immediately!
18 oz pasta
Buon appetito!
Video
Notes
A Mortar and Pestle is Best!A traditional mortar and pestle (which mashes rather than cutting the basil) produces a much tastier result every time. However if you plan to use a blender or food processor instead, keep these tips in mind...Avoid heating the pesto!The trick to preserving the flavor of the fresh basil is to avoiding heating it while blending the ingredients. There are two tricks to this if you are using a food processor:
Chill the food processor bowl and blade before using them to make the pesto
Use quick, short pulses to blend. This avoids heating the blade.
Pecorino 'Sardo' is TraditionalPecorino from Sardegna is traditional in this recipe, if you can find it. Many regions in Italy have a pecorino to their name and they can taste quite different! Pecorino Sardo is traditional here, due to the long historical relationship between the port city of Genoa and the Italian island of Sardegna. Or.. Let Them Mix It on the Plate!In our experience, Pesto Pasta is best when the pesto stays cold until the last possible minute. Instead of mixing everything together, then serving the Pesto pasta, you could serve a heaping spoon of pesto on top of a portion of pasta, beans and potatoes. Then, let the diner mix the pesto into the pasta themselves!Best Served Room TemperatureThis pasta shouldn't be served hot. We want to avoid heating the basil too much so that it retains optimal color and freshness.