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I don’t know about you, but I love super simple pasta recipes – especially the ones made with fresh, seasonal ingredients. And there is probably no better hunting ground for such dishes than southern Italy. This little gem hails from Sicily and more specifically, the province of Trapani. It is supposedly the Sicilian adaptation of the northern basil pesto (or pesto Genovese). According to culinary lore, it was created by the Trapensese traders who simply swapped locally grown almonds for pinenuts and threw in tomatoes (as they are so plentiful in Sicily). While I love basil pesto, this lesser-known Sicilian pesto is also fantastic. It’s bursting with the fresh flavors of summer – a great way to use homegrown tomatoes and basil or your farmers market haul. Plus it’s a no-cook pasta sauce. Toss the ingredients in your food processor and blitz for about a minute. That’s it. You will be done with the sauce well before your pasta cooks. You can put your feet up and sip some Sicilian wine while you wait. If you are looking for quick and easy summer pasta, give this pasta alla Trapanese a try! It’s a perfect dish for dining alfresco.
Looking for more simple Italian pasta dishes? Try my bucatini all Amatriciana, linguine and clams, or my summer-in-a-bowl pasta.
Notes on Pasta alla Trapanese
As with most simple recipes, ingredient quality matters. For this dish, you will need fresh tomatoes and basil. Quality cheese, pasta, and olive oil will also help elevate the dish and give you a gourmet Italian dining experience.
Tomato Selection: The Pachino tomato is the Sicilian tomato variety associated with the dish. It’s a smallish sweet tomato similar to the cherry or grape tomatoes commonly found in the US. The key to this recipe is finding very ripe and sweet tomatoes. If possible, I recommend cherry or grape varieties from your garden or the farmers market.
Fresh Basil: Fresh basil is also key. Farmers markets often sell big fresh bunches of basil if you don’t have any in your garden. I’ve found nice bunches of basil at Whole Foods as well. I prefer the living bunches sold in bags with the roots attached to the leaves in plastic containers.
Other: The other ingredients where quality matters are the cheese and pasta. Avoid pre-grated parmesan (which likely isn’t the real deal). Buy a wedge of Parmesan-Reggiano and grate it yourself. Trader Joe’s is my favorite place to find quality cheese for affordable prices. I also like their Pecorino which works well with this dish. Lastly, a better quality pasta will have better texture. Consider the shape as well. Pesto Trapanese is traditionally served on Busiate, a traditional Sicilian pasta (hard to find in US). Similar more widely available pasta varieties include gemelli or casarecce pasta. I also like spaghetti, bucatini, or linguine for this pesto.
Suggested Pairings for Pasta alla Trapanese: I serve this pasta with a simple green salad. Sometimes we top it with grilled chicken strips to make it a bit heartier. For wine, why not try Sicilian wine? If you like reds, look for an Etna Rosso (made largely from the nerello mascalese grape grown around Mt. Etna). A Dry róse also works well with this dish.
Favorite Kitchen Tools for Sicilian Pesto
A food processor is a super handy kitchen tool and fairly essential for both basil pesto and Sicilian Pesto. You will need a colander for draining your pasta. Check out these melamine (break-proof) dishes – they are great for dining alfresco! Lastly, I love handheld rotary graters for hard cheeses like parmesan.
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Pasta alla Trapanese (aka Sicilian Pesto)
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 4 to 6 servings 1x
- Category: Pasta and Risotto
- Cuisine: Sicilian
Description
This recipe was adapted from Lidia Bastianich’s “Lidia’s Favorite Recipes“
Ingredients
- 1 pound cherry or grape tomatoes (about 2.5 cups)
- 15 large fresh basil leaves
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled
- ⅓ cup whole almonds, blanched or lightly toasted
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes (or ½ teaspoon if you like more heat)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan-Reggiano cheese
- 1 pound pasta – I like thick spaghetti, bucatini, or Gemelli for this dish
Instructions
- Combine the tomatoes, basil, garlic, almonds, pepper flakes, and salt in the base of a food processor. Pulse a few times and blend into a puree (about a minute). With the motor still running, slowly add the olive oil in a slow steady stream. Once the olive oil is incorporated, stop motor and taste. Adjust seasoning if needed.
- Transfer sauce to a large pasta serving bowl and set aside.
- Cook your pasta until al dente following the package instructions. Drain the pasta and then transfer it to the serving bowl with the pesto. Toss the pasta in the pesto to coat. Sprinkle with cheese and garnish with fresh chopped basil.
Keywords: no-cook, tomato, pesto,Sicilian
