Almond Pesto Pasta

Almond Pesto Pasta is a delicious variant of the more famous Genoese pesto. Here are the ingredients and preparation:

Ingredients

• 320 g of pasta (for example, trofie, fusilli, spaghetti)
• 200 g of peeled almonds
• 1 bunch of fresh basil
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 50 g of grated Parmesan cheese
• 50 g of grated Pecorino cheese
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Salt to taste
• Pepper (optional)

Preparation

1. Start by lightly toasting the almonds in a pan without adding any fats, until they are golden. Then let them cool down.
2. In the meantime, boil a pot of salted water for the pasta.
3. In a blender, put the cooled almonds, the garlic cloves (remove the central germ to make it more digestible), the washed and dried basil leaves, the Parmesan and Pecorino, a pinch of salt, and a generous drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Blend everything until you get a smooth cream. If necessary, add more oil to reach the desired consistency.
4. Taste and adjust for salt, and if you like, you can add some pepper.
5. Cook the pasta al dente following the instructions on the package.
6. Drain the pasta, but keep some of the cooking water.
7. Pour the pasta into a large bowl and add the almond pesto. Mix well to coat the pasta with the pesto. If the pasta is too dry, add some of the cooking water to make it creamier.
8. Serve immediately.

Curiosity

Almond pesto is typical of Sicilian cuisine, where almonds are widely used thanks to their abundant local production. Pesto with almonds is sweet and creamy, and offers a pleasant variation from the classic Genoese pesto.