Pasta & Pesto alla Genovese

Name: Pasta & Pesto alla Genovese
Yield: Serves 4
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 200 g linguine; 2 medium-sized, waxy potatoes (approximately 400 g); 100 g dwarf beans (haricots verts); 3 heaped tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese (or pecorino, if you prefer); salt; 50 g pine nuts; 100 ml extra virgin olive oil (a mild one is best); a large bunch of basil; 2 garlic cloves, peeled

Preparation info

Serves
4

Difficulty
Medium

Appears in

The Eagle Cookbook

By David Eyre

Published 2009

About

This is the classic way to present Genoa’s famous (and much abused) basil sauce. If you are prone to buying pesto readymade, have a go at your own this time. It’s a revelation. If the thought of mixing pasta and potatoes doesn’t grab you, try the pesto just as it is,

Ingredients

200 g linguine
a large bunch of basil
50 g

Europe
Italy
Genoa
Main course
Mediterranean
Pasta
Vegan

Method

Make the pesto first. Pesto should be a textured green sauce, not a super smooth emulsion. So, chop the basil, pine nuts and garlic roughly by hand and then crush them to a paste in a pestle and mortar. Alternatively, blitz them in a food processor, using the pulse button. Only then do you add the oil, not too fast, so that the sauce coheres. Finally, fold in the grated cheese, by hand. No more