Main ingredients

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Trofie al pesto combines the hallmarks of the region's cuisine – trofie pasta and pesto – into a dish full of quintessentially rich Ligurian tastes. Trofie pasta, the short, twisty shaped noodles are made with only flour and water and traditionally, rolled by hand. Its swirly shape is a perfect complement to the steadiness of the pesto Genovese sauce, which is traditionally made with Basilico Genovese, Parmigiano Reggiano (or Grana Padano as a substitute), pine nuts, extra-virgin olive oil from the Ligurian Riviera, garlic (preferably from Vessalico), with an addition of one of the varieties of the pecorino cheese – Sardo, Romano, or Toscano. Diced potatoes and green beans are a common traditional addition, which makes for a more substantial and filling version of trofie al pesto. Some versions of the dish will include pancetta, and in some instances, the pesto is made with pistachio.
4.4
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Some versions of trofie al pesto recipes include cooked potato and green beans, which make this meal more substantial than its status of a regular first course might suggest. The potatoes and the green beans are cooked with the trofie pasta, and then all three are mixed with the pesto and served in warmed bowls, topped with salt, pepper, and grated pecorino.
4.7
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This trofie al pesto recipe is divided into two sections: the traditional preparation of the trofie pasta and the preparation of the traditional pesto Genovese. Trofie noodles are traditionally made by hand, only with some water and durum wheat flour. If you are in a pinch with time, you can use store-bought trofie pasta — cook it according to package instructions — and just make the pesto.
4.4
Rate It
This version of trofie al pesto also calls for pancetta and the pesto sauce is based on pistachios instead of pine nuts. The flavor of pancetta joined with sweet and savory aroma pistachios provide to the creamy pesto sauce is a delight to the taste buds.
PREP 10min
COOK 20min
READY IN 30min
4.4
Rate It
Some versions of trofie al pesto recipes include cooked potato and green beans, which make this meal more substantial than its status of a regular first course might suggest. The potatoes and the green beans are cooked with the trofie pasta, and then all three are mixed with the pesto and served in warmed bowls, topped with salt, pepper, and grated pecorino.
4-6 kipfler or red potatoes (depending on size), peeled and cut into 1cm (approx. ½ inch) cubes
200g (7 oz) green beans, topped and tailed, halved lengthways
sea salt
cracked black pepper
70g (2.4 oz) Parmigiano-Reggiano, shaved (optional)
900g (2 lbs) trofie pasta, preferably fresh
PESTO GENOVESE
150g (5 oz) basil leaves
75g (2.5 oz) pine nuts
2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
30g (1oz) Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated
30g (1 oz) Pecorino Sardo, grated
120 ml (½ cup) extra virgin olive oil
sea salt
cracked black pepper
Wash the basil leaves in cold water and leave them to dry.
Place the basil, pine nuts, and garlic into the mortar or the mixer. Gradually add both types of cheese to the mix while combining the ingredients, as well as the extra virgin olive oil. If using a mortar and the pestle, slowly crush the ingredients until they form a pasty mixture. If using a mixer, make sure to blend slowly and in shorter time increments so the mixture doesn’t heat up.
Add salted water into a large saucepan, and bring it to a boil. Add the potato cubes and the trofie to the water and boil it for around 6 minutes. Next, add the green beans and cook the mix for another 3 minutes. By that time, the vegetables should tenderize, and the pasta should be al dente.
Once the pasta is al dente and the vegetables have softened, drain all the ingredients into a colander and place them into a large bowl. Preserve some of the cooking water.
Add pesto to the bowl and mix it well with the trofie, potatoes, and green beans. To bring everything together and make the pesto emulsify and sprawl over other ingredients, add some of the cooking water while mixing.
Trofie al pesto is ready to be served, in warm bowls, seasoned with some salt, pepper, and grated pecorino.
4.7
Rate It
This trofie al pesto recipe is divided into two sections: the traditional preparation of the trofie pasta and the preparation of the traditional pesto Genovese. Trofie noodles are traditionally made by hand, only with some water and durum wheat flour. If you are in a pinch with time, you can use store-bought trofie pasta — cook it according to package instructions — and just make the pesto.
4.4
Rate It
This version of trofie al pesto also calls for pancetta and the pesto sauce is based on pistachios instead of pine nuts. The flavor of pancetta joined with sweet and savory aroma pistachios provide to the creamy pesto sauce is a delight to the taste buds.
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