INGREDIENTS

Like many traditional Sicilian recipes, pesto alla Trapanese’s roots run deep into the history of this territory. In the port of Trapani, Genovese ships, headed for the east, used to stop, bringing with them the typical Ligurian dish of agliata, a garlic and nut-based sauce. This pesto was then revisited and transformed by the Trapani sailors who added local ingredients: almonds, tomatoes, Nubian red garlic, basil, and, obviously, the excellent coarse sea salt for which the area is known.

320 gr of pasta (ideally busiate) - 500 g fresh tomatoes - 70 gr of peeled almonds - 50 g Sicilian pecorino - 2 red - garlic cloves - 40 g of basil - Extra virgin olive oil - Salt and pepper, to taste

PREPARATION

1. Blanch and peel the tomatoes, and remove the seeds.
2. Toast the almonds in the oven for 15 min at 150 degrees (302 F) and let them cool.
3. Blend all the pesto ingredients together except the basil. It’s best to do so with a mortar and pestle, as they do in Sicily; if so, start with the almonds and garlic, before adding the rest of the ingredients. That said, you can also use a food processor or blender.
4. Slowly add a little olive oil as it blends, if necessary, to reach desired texture. You want the ingredients to be well-integrated, but the sauce to still be a bit coarse and rough. Add the basil and salt to taste, and blend just a bit more.
5. Meanwhile, cook the pasta in boiling water. Reserve a bit of pasta cooking water, and drain pasta once it’s al dente.
6. Season pasta with pesto, adding a few splashes of cooking water if necessary, and serve!

Thanks to Virginia Gattai and Italy Segreta for this recipe.

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