Pesto alla Trapanese

Name: Thermomix recipe: Pesto alla Trapanese
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 10 min
Ingredients: 100 Grams almonds or pine nuts; 100 Grams parmesan cheese cubed; 2 Handfuls basil leaves, no stalks; 5 cloves garlic; 1 lemons zest and juice; 1 Pinch pink salt flakes; 1 Teaspoon peppercorns (optional); 1 Pinch dried red chilli flakes (optional); 100 Grams Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO); 1 Punnet Heirloom cherry tomatoes quartered; 300 Grams dry short pasta of choice; parmesan cheese

Serves 4 Prep Time 10 minutes Cook Time 10 minutes Rated:

The most simple but delicious meals in life are great ingredients, thrown together in a short space of time and eaten immediately! Here you go.

I would call this a summer pasta recipe. Whilst pasta is not often associated with summer, if you waited in Sicily for a winter pasta, you may be waiting a long time. I love the freshness of Sicilian cuisine and this is an example of this. Fresh everything, grown potentially by your neighbours or your nonna in abundance, pulled together quickly and easily. So much flavour.

Using great ingredients is the key to brilliant Italian cooking, do not cheapen the dish with less than our favourite Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO). I grow my own basil (in summer at least) and sometimes we get enough tomatoes to get this happening, but if not, go for the best.

Bon Appetito!

Try some of our other Sicilian recipes and join our cooking class in March!

Sicilian Coffee Granita

Sicilian Lemony Brioche with Gelato

Cipollina Catanese

Savoury Pistachio Paste

Linguine with Tuna, Capers and Currants

Arancini, with Ham, Pistachio and Cheese

Need

100 Grams almonds or pine nuts
100 Grams parmesan cheese cubed
2 Handfuls basil leaves, no stalks
5 cloves garlic
1 lemons zest and juice
1 Pinch pink salt flakes BUY
1 Teaspoon peppercorns (optional)
1 Pinch dried red chilli flakes (optional)
100 Grams Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) BUY
1 Punnet Heirloom cherry tomatoes quartered
To Serve
300 Grams dry short pasta of choice
parmesan cheese

Do

1: Toast the almonds in the oven, or pine nuts in a dry frying pan until golden and fragrant. The almonds will take about 10-15 minutes to toast in a 180°C oven. Set aside.
2: Place parmesan into the Thermomix bowl and mill 10 sec/speed 10. If serving this with the pasta, add 30g more cheese to this step and set aside the grated cheese for later.
3: Add basil leaves, garlic, lemon zest and juice, salt, peppercorns and chilli flakes. Blend 5 sec/speed 7.
4: Add toasted nuts and close the lid. Add the EVOO through the hole in the lid in a steady stream as you rotate the blades on speed 3-4.
5: Taste and adjust seasoning.
6: Stir the tomatoes through and allow to mellow for at least 10 minutes.
7: Meanwhile, boil the pasta to manufacturers instructions in plenty of salted water. Drain, reserving a little of the cooking water and toss through the pesto, incorporating the water as well. Season and garnish with the grated parmesan and more fresh basil leaves if you have any. Serve immediately.

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Tenina Holder is a wife, mother of five and grandmother of eight, who started cooking in the olden days before Thermomix was even a thing.

Tenina has become the premium go to source for all Thermomix expertise and of course fresh and easy recipes that work. Her cooking classes and foodie trips are sold out in literally hours, her cookbooks appear on the Australian best seller lists and her social reach is in the millions. Her Insider Club is the most fun you can have with a Thermomix and you really should join her! She believes chocolate, butter and salt are health foods. Her food positivity mantra is, eat everything, just not all at once!