Pasta with Pistachio Pesto
Genoa’s basil and pine nut sauce (pesto alla genovese) may be the most famous pesto of them all, but as Katie Parla writes in Food of the Italian Islands, it’s actually Sicily that’s the pesto capital of Italy. Many of Sicity’s pestos include tomato — such as those from Trapani, Pantelleria and Linosa. This one — pesto di pistacchi — does not; it’s just pistachios, mint, basil, garlic, olive oil and cheese (either caciocavallo or Pecorino Romano). According to Parla, it has become a Sicilian “modern classic.”
(Note: We tested the recipe using Pecorino Romano.)
Serves 4 to 6.
Ingredients
1 cup / 132 g shelled unsalted raw pistachios
Leaves from 1 bunch basil (1 packed cup / 42 grams)
Leaves from 1 bunch mint (1 packed cup / 36 grams)
2 garlic cloves, peeled
Fine sea salt
1/4 cup / 60 ml extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup / 30 grams finely grated aged caciocavallo or Pecorino Romano
1 pound / 500 grams dried or fresh pasta
Instructions
1. Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil over high heat.
2. Meanwhile, put the pistachios, basil, mint, garlic and 1/2 teaspoon of salt into the bowl of a food processor and pulse until the mixture is chunky. Slowly add the olive oil and process until the pesto is smooth. Transfer to a large bowl and stir in the cheese.
3. When the water comes to a boil, add salt until it tastes like a seasoned soup. Add the pasta and cook until al dente if it’s dried, or until it floats and loses its raw flavor if it’s fresh. Drain the pasta, reserving some of the cooking water. Add the pasta to the pesto and stir to coat. Add some of the reserved cooking water a spoonful at a time as needed to loosen the sauce. Taste and add salt, if necessary.
Pasta with Pistachio Pesto
Ingredients
- 1 cup / 132 g shelled unsalted raw pistachios
- Leaves from 1 bunch basil (1 packed cup / 42 grams)
- Leaves from 1 bunch mint (1 packed cup / 36 grams)
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled
- Fine sea salt
- 1/4 cup / 60 ml extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup / 30 grams finely grated aged caciocavallo or Pecorino Romano
- 1 pound / 500 grams dried or fresh pasta
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil over high heat.
- Meanwhile, put the pistachios, basil, mint, garlic and 1/2 teaspoon of salt into the bowl of a food processor and pulse until the mixture is chunky. Slowly add the olive oil and process until the pesto is smooth. Transfer to a large bowl and stir in the cheese.
- When the water comes to a boil, add salt until it tastes like a seasoned soup. Add the pasta and cook until al dente if it’s dried, or until it floats and loses its raw flavor if it’s fresh. Drain the pasta, reserving some of the cooking water. Add the pasta to the pesto and stir to coat. Add some of the reserved cooking water a spoonful at a time as needed to loosen the sauce. Taste and add salt, if necessary.