Trofie with Ligurian Pesto: the original recipe

Dear expats, today Vico Food Box delights us with a simple recipe of Ligurian origin: basil pesto alla ligure. A tribute to the recipe and the flavors of home, even when far from our beloved Italy.

It’s always wonderful to enjoy a dish that tastes like home, but it’s also nice to learn about the history of a dish. Pesto originated around the mid-19th century in Liguria, the land of aromatic herbs. The use of herbs in cooking dates back to the Middle Ages, and it was social class that determined how they were used. In fact, the wealthier classes would use rare spices, while the poorer ones used herbs simply to flavor soups made with few ingredients.

And it is from Ligurian aromatic herbs that pesto was born, an excellent cold sauce made with basil.

The original Ligurian pesto recipe dates back to the second half of the 19th century thanks to Giovanni Battista Ratto, who described it in his book La Cuciniera Genovese.

INGREDIENTS

350 g Trofie pasta

For the pesto:

• 30 g grated Parmigiano Reggiano

• 20 g grated Pecorino Sardo

• 12 g pine nuts

• 25 basil leaves

• Garlic to taste

• Extra virgin olive oil to taste

• Coarse salt to taste

PREPARATION

First, wash and dry the basil. Take a mortar and begin crushing a few leaves, gradually adding the rest. Proceeding in this way will make it easier to finely crush them. Add the pine nuts, a clove of garlic sliced, and a pinch of coarse salt. Crush the ingredients into a paste. Add the cheeses to the mixture and stir. Finally, slowly pour in the oil, mixing the pesto until it is smooth and compact.

Bring salted water to a boil for the trofie. Add a tablespoon of the pasta cooking water to the pesto to make it more velvety. Drain the pasta and season it with the pesto. If you like, garnish the dish with more basil leaves and a sprinkle of Parmigiano. Our Trofie al Pesto Ligure are ready to be enjoyed!

Wine pairing: Mastroberardino Fiano di Avellino DOCG