A Pesto for Winter?
Trapanese pesto uses stuff from the winter market
Winter Pesto? Sure, why not.
Here in the northeast, Pesto is a summer delight. When the basil plants are in full foliage, many of us make batches of pesto and freeze them for winter use. That is a great idea, but what about making a fresh Pesto in winter? Like now?
When our basil plants are all wiped out Trapanese pesto is the way to go. One small pack of basil from the supermarket and some Campari tomatoes, almonds, garlic and EVOO-- and deliciousness is on the way.
In the dead of winter, I find Campari tomatoes to be the best option if you desire a tomato that tastes most like summer. The Campari tomato is trademarked and owned by the Mastronardi Produce Company of Ontario, Canada. Yes, it is a trademarked tomato. And we can thank the Soprano’s for it’s popularity! The Campari tomato broke out nationally in 2002 when it made an appearance on the popular television series, "The Sopranos." The cameo actually boosted the Campari tomato’s level of respect, within the Italian-American community. The following year, the Campari tomato recorded more than a fifty-percent increase in sales. With competition from thousands of other tomato varieties, the strategic product placement certainly gave the Campari tomato an edge in the market. Let’s just say they don’t suck like so many so winter tomatoes do. They are perfect fopr this winter pesto
Let me tell you about this Trapani style pesto
TRAPANESE PESTO
Trapani is an ancient port city on the Northwest Coast of the island. It is where the ferry to Naples and Rome depart from and is also a short ferry ride from Tunisia, which is why it has a distinct middle eastern flair to its cooking. Legend has it that when the sailors from Genoa arrived in Trapani, they wanted to create their classic pesto to dress pasta. A fusion of their pesto and local Trapanese ingredients resulted in this fresh and delish pesto. It is awesome tossed with hot pasta, but it also makes a fun garnish for grilled fish or chicken. I also like to scoop it up with toasted bread, straight up. This is normally served with Busiate, a twisted noodle pasta from western Sicily, but Cassarecce, Gemelli, Fussili or even Penne Rigate will work fine.
Makes about three cups, or enough for 4 first course servings.
1 cup slivered almonds, lightly toasted
2 medium cloves garlic, grated on a microplane or pressed through a garlic press.
6-8 fresh Campari tomatoes. (avoid grape tomatoes as their skin is too thick and they have no flavor. I despise them.)
1 cup of basil leaves, roughly chopped
⅓ cup EVOO
1 teaspoon salt plus more salt to taste
One pound of pasta of your choice, though nice chewy pastas like Cassarecche, Fusilli or gemelle are my faves
Slice the Campari tomato as thinly as you could. This will keep you from having big pieces of skin in your pesto.
In your mortar, or in a food processor, add the garlic, almonds and teaspoon of salt. Pulse to make a coarse grind, not a paste.
Add the tomatoes and crush or pulse until the tomatoes are broken down into small bits.
Add the basil and mash it up a little or or pulse to break it down.
Stir in the EVOO and taste for salt and season to your liking.
Put half of the pesto in a serving bowl.
Cook pasta al dente.
When the pasta is ready, scoop from the boiling water with a skimmer or slotted spoon right into the bowl with the pesto.
Add about an ounce of hot pasta water and stir to coat the pasta with a light glaze of pesto.
Serve grated Pecorino Romano cheese and more pesto on the side
Enjoy this simple recipe- It is a great primo for a seafood or chicken dinner or a stan alone meal, served with a hearty winter salad
Visit my website https://chefric.com to find recipes, info on my hosted Sicily and Italy Experience tours and to find my store- https://TasteMakerMarket.com where you will find my products plus selected Sicilian specialties, EVOO, Ancient grain pasta and more.
Have a great day.
Ric, dreamin of the beach!
