Pesto Alla Trapanese Pesto With Tomato And Almonds Food

TOMATO ALMOND PESTO (TRAPANESE)

Steps:

• Process tomatoes in a food processor until finely chopped.
• Pour chopped tomatoes into a fine-mesh strainer and drain all juice; return strained tomatoes to food processor. Add almonds, basil, Parmesan, olive oil, garlic, anchovy fillets, pepperoncini pepper, golden raisins, capers, and chile flakes to chopped tomatoes and process in the food processor until finely chopped. Season with salt and ground black pepper to taste.

PASTA CON IL PESTO ALLA TRAPANESE (TOMATO AND ALMOND PESTO)

Steps:

• Cover the almonds with boiling water for a few minutes to loosen their skins, then slip them off with your fingers when they are cool enough to handle. Try not to cut corners and use ready blanched almonds, as nuts quickly lose their flavour without their protective skins. Toast the almonds in a non-stick frying pan, stirring frequently for a few minutes until they are pale gold.
• Whizz the basil, garlic and a little coarse sea salt in a food processor and tip into a large bowl. Process the almonds, again with a little salt, using the pulse button, until they're the size of small grains of rice.
• Peel the tomatoes, de-seed by halving and squeezing over the sink, then chop into medium dice. Mix the tomatoes and the almonds into the basil and garlic, add the grated cheese and olive oil and mix well. Taste and season with pepper and - only if needed - a little salt.
• Boil the pasta in the usual way, taking care to keep it very al dente, especially if you are planning to serve it cold. The Sicilians are probably the most fussy of all Italians about pasta, and they are very quick to declare it scotta, which means overcooked. To judge when to drain the pasta, cut a piece of pasta open: when it has a tiny uncooked white speck at the centre, drain it. It will be perfectly cooked all the way through by the time you serve it.
• Drain the pasta but reserve a couple of ladles of the pasta water. Tip the pasta into the bowl with the pesto and mix it gently but quickly, so that the melting cheese is well distributed. Add a little pasta water if necessary so the sauce lightly coats each pasta corkscrew. The pasta can be served now, lukewarm, or at room temperature, but don't chill, as this dulls the heady aromas which are the joy of this dish.

PESTO ALLA TRAPANESE (PESTO WITH TOMATO AND ALMONDS)

Steps:

• Score tomatoes by cutting a small 'X' on the bottom of each. Drop in boiling water 1-2 minutes until the skins loosen. Drain and rinse under cold water. Use a paring knife to remove skins. Slice tomatoes in half and scoop out seeds with spoon. Chop.
• Place tomatoes, almonds, basil and garlic in a blender, food processer, or mortar. Drizzle in the olive oil and blend, process or grind with pestle until pureed to the desired consistency (almonds should still be a bit crunchy).
• Add salt and pepper and serve over cooked pasta.

PESTO ALLA TRAPANESE

Steps:

• Crush garlic using a mortar and pestle. Add basil leaves gradually, making circular movements with the pestle, until a smooth paste forms. Season with salt. Transfer to a bowl and mix in olive oil.
• Add almonds to a skillet over medium heat and toast, while stirring, until fragrant and lightly browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Add to mortar and pestle and crush into a coarse flour. Mix with basil paste in the bowl. Stir in tomatoes and add more olive oil if you like more sauce. Mix in Parmesan cheese and season with salt, pepper, and lemon juice.
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook spaghetti in the boiling water, stirring occasionally, until tender yet firm to the bite, about 12 minutes. Drain and mix with pesto.

PASTA WITH TOMATO AND ALMOND PESTO (PESTO ALLA TRAPANESE)

Steps:

• A half teaspoon of red wine vinegar and ¼ teaspoon of red pepper flakes can be substituted for the pepperoncini. If you don't have a food processor, a blender may be substituted. In step 2, pulse ingredients until roughly chopped, then proceed with the recipe, reducing processing times by half.
• 1. Toast almonds in small skillet over medium heat, stirring frequently, until pale golden and fragrant, 2 to 4 minutes. Cool almonds to room temperature.
• 2. Process cooled almonds, tomatoes, basil, garlic, pepperoncini, 1 teaspoon salt, and red pepper flakes (if using) in food processor until smooth, about 1 minute. Scrape down sides of bowl with rubber spatula. With machine running, slowly drizzle in oil, about 30 seconds.
• 3. Meanwhile, bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. Add pasta and 1 tablespoon salt and cook until al dente. Reserve ½ cup cooking water; drain pasta and transfer back to cooking pot.
• 4. Add pesto and ½ cup Parmesan to cooked pasta, adjusting consistency with reser.

LINGUINE WITH PESTO TRAPANESE

Steps:

• Sauté the almonds in a little olive oil until tan.
• Put basil, garlic, and salt in food processor and chop. Put aside.
• Put in almonds and pulse until size of orzo.
• Put tomatoes, almonds, basil garlic, cheese, and olive oil back in food processor and whir briefly. Add some fresh-ground coarse pepper.
• Boil linguine. If you are Sicilian, become hysterical at the prospect of overcooked pasta. Break open a strand every 60 seconds, and when there is one tiny white speck at the center, drain instantly. Save a cupful of pasta water.
• Put pasta in with pesto and mix quickly. Add a little pasta water if necessary. Serve lukewarm or at room temperature.