Trofie al Pesto Genovese
Liguria's classic: hand-rolled trofie coated in basil pesto, cooked together with potatoes and green beans in the same pot.
- prep
- 20 min
- cook
- 20 min
- total
- 40 min
- serves
- 4
- level
- medium
Pesto alla genovese is a raw sauce built around Ligurian basil, pine nuts, garlic, Parmigiano, Pecorino and olive oil, traditionally crushed in a marble mortar so the leaves bruise rather than tear and oxidize. Trofie, the short hand-twisted pasta, is its classic partner.
The Genoese trick is cooking potatoes and green beans in the same pot as the pasta, so one pot does the whole dish and the starchy, vegetable-perfumed water loosens the pesto at the end.
Trofie al pesto is one of the twenty most famous Italian foods.
method
Blend or pound the basil, pine nuts, garlic and a pinch of salt with the olive oil until smooth. Stir in the Parmigiano and Pecorino by hand at the end so the cheese does not turn gluey.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the diced potatoes and cook for 5 minutes.
Add the green beans and cook 3 minutes more, then add the trofie and cook until al dente.
Reserve a cup of the cooking water, then drain the pasta, potatoes and beans together.
Return everything to the pot, off the heat, and stir in the pesto, loosening with splashes of the reserved water until glossy and well coated.
Serve immediately with extra grated cheese.
chef's tips
- Add the cheese to the pesto off the blender, by hand, so it stays textured instead of pasty.
- A pinch of ice or very cold water while blending keeps the basil from oxidizing to a dull color.
- Potatoes and beans cooking in the pasta water is not a shortcut; it is the traditional Genoese method.