Trenette al Pesto

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 cups tightly packed fresh basil leaves
  • 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1/4 cup of pine nuts
  • pinch of salt
  • 2 cloves of garlic chopped fine
  • 1/2 pound of trenette pasta or linguine
  • 1/4 cup freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese
  • 2 tablespoons freshly grated pecorino-romano cheese
  • 4 medium potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
  • 1/2 pound green beans, washed and ends broken off

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Put 1/2 cup of olive oil, pine nuts, garlic and a nice pinch of salt in a food processor or blender, start mixing and add the basil a few leaves at a time processing to a creamy consistency.
  2. Stir in the cheese by hand, mixing well. I find this achieves a much better consistency than if you blend the cheese in using the food processor or blender.
  3. Bring a large pot of liberally salted water to a boil. Cut the green beans into 1 inch pieces and add the potatoes to the water for 2-3 minutes, followed by the green beans for 2-3 minutes, followed by the pasta. Cook until the pasta is al dente.
  4. Reserve 1/4 cup of water from the pot then drain pasta/beans/potatoes and add to a large bowl with pesto and reserved water. Toss to mix. Add more cheese if needed to keep the sauce from breaking.
  5. Transfer the pasta to individual serving plates and serve immediately.