Trenette al Pesto

• servings: 2 servings
• active time: 20 minutes
• total time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

1 clove garlic (small to medium)

1/4 tsp coarse sea salt, (or kosher salt)

2 Tbsp pine nuts, (plus more to garnish)

4 cups fresh basil leaves, (plus more to garnish, loose/unpacked, delicately washed and let dry on kitchen towel)

3 Tbsp Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, (freshly grated)

3 Tbsp Pecorino Sardo cheese (freshly grated (or use all Parmigiano)

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

8oz, ½ lb trenette pasta (or linguine or tagliatelle - for other substitutes, see Notes)

Directions

Bring a large covered pot of salted water to boil.

When the pasta water comes to a boil, cook the pasta in the salted water, stirring occasionally, until al dente, tender yet still firm to the bite.

Meanwhile, make the sauce:If using Mortar and Pestle: (about 10 minutes) (chunky)Pound and grind the garlic with the salt into a creamy paste. Add the pine nuts and pestle until smooth. Add most of the basil leaves, hand torn if too big, an ice cube, or the same amount of crushed ice, and gently pound and grind downward and with a wheel-like rotation, until it becomes a thick paste. (Save a few small leaves for later to sprinkle on or around the pasta.)Stir in the cheese with a wooden spoon.Slowly stir in the olive oil until incorporated. If using Food Processor or Blender: (smoother)Cool off the container and blade of the food processor, or blender, in the freezer for around 10 minutes before using.Blend garlic, salt, pine nuts until finely ground into a sandy texture. Add basil leaves, an ice cube, or the same amount of crushed ice, and use short pulses to roughly blend. Add the cheese and olive oil, and blend until combined. If needed, add as little extra olive oil as possible to help blend. (You can use hot pasta water to make it creamier later.) It should have an elegantly rustic, chunky texture. If using Immersion Blender: (smoothest)Place all ingredients (including olive oil) in a bowl and use short pulses until desired consistency.

Transfer the pesto sauce to a pasta serving bowl.

Drain the pasta (reserving 1/2 cup of the pasta water to use if needed), and toss with the pesto sauce. If the sauce seems a little dry, add 1 to 2 Tbsp of the reserved pasta water and stir until creamy.

Serve at once, sprinkled with grated cheese, small basil leaves, and a few whole pine nuts, with more cheese to be grated at the table for whoever wants it.

Nutrition

• Calories: 832 kcal
• Total Fat: 43 g
• Saturated Fat: 7 g
• Unsaturated Fat: 33 g
• Cholesterol: 10 mg
• Sodium: 468 mg
• Total Carbohydrate: 91 g
• Dietary Fiber: 4 g
• Protein: 22 g