AuthorBen WatsonCategoryDinner, Lunch, Summer, VegetableFor years I thought that anything other than the green Genovese version was sacrilege - until I was introduced to its Sicilian cousin aka Trapanese. Since then, I’ve been swimming with the Trapanesian fishes. The only caveat is that you have to have the right tomatoes. Only the finest and tastiest will do and that definitely doesn’t include cherry - or anything available in the supermarket.
You need that mythical beefsteak tomato some old lady in a french provisioners used to make you a sandwich, one hot afternoon just outside Carcassonne about twenty years ago. As you can tell, it was the highlight of my holiday but I was firmly put in my place a few years later when a friend, who had had a similar experience told me that she had extracted some tomato seeds from said sandwich, smuggled them back to Blighty, germinated and grown them the next year. Now that really must have been a good sandwich.
Anyway, back to the pesto. It’s a simple concoction of peeled and deseeded diced tomatoes (blessed by the lady in black from Carcassonne), blanched almonds, garlic, basil and a little mint. Recipes invariably call for Sicilia or Sardinian pecorino but I reckon it’s best left out of the sauce and grated over the finished dish.
Using a pestel & mortar, crush the garlic and salt together until a paste forms. Then, add your almonds and beat them into a rough paste.
Next, work in your basil & mint leaves and then your cheese, tomatoes and olive oil. Your mixture should be a rough but saucy consistency. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Split your mixture and pop 2/3 into a heatproof bowl.
Cook your pasta until al dente in a boiling pot of water. Keep back some of the water.
Once drained, add your pasta to your heatproof bowl mixture and toss until it is well combined. Add tablespoons of both the pasta water and olive oil, mixing as you go, until the sauce becomes a creamy consistency. You want it to be creamy but not soupy.
Serve and add a dollop of your remaining mixture onto each portion, adding more grated cheese as preferred.