Name: Spaghetti col Pesto alla Trapanese (Pasta with Almond and Basil Pesto from Trapani)
Yield: Serves 6 as a first course, 4 as a main course
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 1 teaspoon sea salt; ¾ cup (3½ ounces) blanched almonds; ⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes; 6 small (about 1½ pounds) tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and roughly chopped; ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil; At least 5 quarts water; 5 sprigs of flat-leaf parsley; 1 cup or 50 large leaves of fresh basil; 1½ tablespoons coarse sea salt; 1¼ pounds spaghetti; 4 medium garlic cloves, roughly chopped

Preparation info

Serves
6
as a first course

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

In Nonna's Kitchen

By Carol Field

Published 1997

About

America has long since fallen in love with the basil pesto of Genoa, but wait until people discover this spicy pesto sauce from Trapani. Dazzling to taste, incredibly simple to prepare, it is a sensational Sicilian alternative to the winning northern combination.

Antonietta de Blasi Rocca, the grandmother who gave me this recipe, insisted that it must be made in a mortar to get the right texture. That may make a difference, but I’ve made it