“Pesto” is any kind of cold sauce resulting from crushing (“Pestare”) fresh ingredients, usually mixed with olive oil and grated cheese (Parmesan or “Pecorino” – hard sheep cheese). The sauce is used mainly to dress pasta, but it can be used as a dip or a spread, or as an ingredient for other recipes.

The best known “Pesto” is the one from Genoa, made with fresh basil, pine nuts, garlic and Pecorino cheese.

There are many other versions of Pesto, as the one presented in this fiche.

Trapani is a town on the West Coast of Sicily; Pesto alla Trapanese is based on local ingredients: fresh tomatoes, almonds (a typical Sicilian product), garlic, basil and olive oil.

Traditionally, pesto is made with a (stone) mortar; you can use a blender, in this case make sure that olive oil covers all ingredients, to avoid the pesto to blacken due to contact with air under the action of the blades.

Ingredients (4 servings):

• 2 fresh tomatoes (around 250 gr)
• 1 garlic clove (traditional, but optional)
• 50 gr almonds
• 50 gr fresh basil
• 2 table spoons grated cheese (Pecorino or Parmesan)
• Olive oil* to taste

1. Peel and seed the tomatoes (you can dip them very quickly in boiling water, after having cut a cross on their bottom: it will be very easy to peel them off), cut them into pieces
2. In a blender, mix the tomatoes with the almonds, the garlic clove (peeled), the fresh basil; cover with olive oil*, blend
3. Add two t.s. of grated cheese

If you want to use it for your pasta, just add it to the hot cooked pasta, keeping aside a glass of its boiling water in case the sauce gets too thick. Add more olive oil* and more grated cheese if necessary.

You can keep the pesto in the fridge for a couple of days, or freeze it in small pots; in both cases make sure the surface is completely covered in olive oil*.

Variations:  

Added to the other ingredients before blending

• Salted anchovies
• Sun dried tomatoes
• Fresh ricotta cheese (after blending)

Added to the pasta:

• Tuna fish, preserved in oil
• Fresh tuna, in cubes, quickly sautéed
• Shrimps, cooked
• Eggplant in dices, deep fried or sautéed
• Zucchini in thin slices, deep fried or sautéed

*“Olive Oil = extra virgin olive oil