Sicilian Pesto Pasta.

A reddish pesto rather than the more commonly recognised green, Sicilian pesto’s most distinguishing feature is that it is made with tomatoes.

Pasta al pesto alla Siciliana.

The types of tomatoes will vary, but the other ballpark ingredients remain more or less the same: almonds, cheese, basil and plenty but plenty of olive oil. 

The most widely known Sicilian pesto is the Trapense, originsating from the Western town of Trapani on Sicily’s mainland and made with sundired tomatoes. 

 This is an incredibly refreshing version of this and any pasta dish, the consistency of the sauce being closer to a gazpacho than the typically oily condiment usually considered a pesto. Like any pesto sauce, it seduces by not requiring any cooking, as well as through its incredibly delicious smell, the combination of which makes it an instant, all-round recipe winner. And like all pesto sauces, it makes a good dip or topping for bruschetta or addition to soups. 

Originally made in a pestle and mortar, especially the Ligurian variety which rests heavily on delicate basil leaves, the Sicilian variety is easier made in a blender, and especially this version which uses raw tomatoes. Most recipes recommend blanching tomatoes in hot water before peeling their skins and collecting their pulp; in high summer, very ripe tomatoes will easily peel themselves without needing for blanching, and there are few things more delicious than this potent summery smell of raw tomatoes. The recipe below is a very light iteration, with the nuts left untoasted. You can make a heartier version by using sundried tomatoes, and toasting your nuts – mostly typically almonds, but these can be substituted for pistachios, another nut common to Sicily, or even pine nuts, as per the original basil pesto from Liguria. Adding pecorino to the typically used parmesan cheese also makes this lighter (sheep’s milk being less acidic than cow’s), as does the addition of parsley in this recipe, another herb with strong curative and acid- balancing properties. Some Sicilian recipes also use ricotta, which is harder to source outside of Italy but an incredibly delicious, light and versatile cheese worth experimenting with if you can get your hands on it. 

 In terms of pasta, in the region of Trapani, just as in Northern Italy’s Liguria, pasta with pesto is prepared with fresh pasta. The basil pesto of Liguria is typically made with trofie, and the tomato pesto of Trapani with busiate, a shape that is longer with fatter twists than the trofie – one of my personal favourite shapes of all time, and one that goes very well with the slightly chunkier consistency of the Sicilian pesto, in addition to being generally more fitting to the more generous Sicilian character. 

There are no strict rules here in terms of ingredients or quantities – use the most delicious ingredients at your disposal and taste as you go. The olive oil should preferably be added as the last step. The pesto improves if it is left to rest for at least a couple of hours before serving. 

 A “pesto”, translated as a “paste”, is strictly not a sauce (a “sugo”) and should therefore never be cooked over a heat source: considered a major kitchen crime in Italy. This particular version is very delicious with the addition of some fried aubergines as well, and can even be eaten the next day, reheated in a pan, something that is seldom allowed in Italy (that is, to reheat a pasta dish as is, without turning it into something else, a practice that is its own genre of cooking, especially in Southern Italy ). I myself secretly like this cold the next day, especially for lunch, straight from the fridge still slightly clunky, though this seems to invariably be frowned upon, at least in Sicily. 

RECIPE.

This is a recipe from Mariella, a very elegant Palermitan lady and a most excellent, naturally-gifted home cook. 

Serves 6.

Ingredients:

Ripe tomatoes, a large handful

Basil, a small handful

Parsley, half a handful

Parmiggiano Reggiano, grated, three spoonfulls

Pecorino, three spoonfulls 

Garlic, 2 small cloves or 1 large

Olive oil, a very generous amount

Almonds, a handful

Busiate pasta, or trofie (pictured), or another short and twisted pasta, ideally fresh and without egg, 100g per person, or less if using aubergines.

Aubergines: if using

It is always a good idea to make more of both the pesto as well as the fried aubergines, as the former has numerous and versatile uses and stores well, and the latter somehow never seems to satiate, and is most delicious snacked on in addition to the pasta, not just mixed through the dish. This is homecoming at some of its most glorious.  

For the pesto:

1.      Peel off the skin of the tomatoes and collect in a bowl

2.     Wash and add the basil and parsley to a mixer

3.     Peel the garlic, cut in half and remove its “anima” – this translates as “soul”, and is the green central piece in the garlic clove, responsible for making raw garlic difficult to digest – add to the mixer and pulse

4.    Add the almonds and mix, then add the tomatoes an mix again

5.     Add the Pecorino and half of the Parmesan (save the rest for serving) mix again

6.     Taste and season with pepper and a small amount of salt – the pesto should be fairly salty from the cheeses

7.     Add a very generous amount of olive oil.

The consistency should be like a thick gazpacho.

Refrigerate – this will keep in the fridge for a good five days, and can even be frozen. It is best made at least a couple of hours in advance, so that the garlic and herbs can seep into the oil.

The pasta:

1.      Cook your pasta in generously salted boiling water

2.     Add the pesto to the bottom of the serving bowl, and loosen with a ladelfull of pasta cooking water, from top of the pan towards the end of the cooking – this will both warm up the pesto, as well as add some starchiness to it which will make it cling better to the pasta

3.     Drain your pasta and add to the pasta bowl. Mix thoroughly. Add some extra pasta water if needed. 

If using aubergines:

Cut into dice and put in a colander, salt and mix through with your hands

Fry in abundant, hot peanut oil

Take out with a slotted spoon when brown – they almost need to look burnt, which is when they are crispy on the inside but soft and cooked on the inside.

Mix into the pasta, once you have mixed through the pesto, or serve on top or on the side, and let everyone serve themselves.