Busiate al Pesto TrapaneseBusiate with Trapani-Style Pesto

Blanch, peel and dice the tomatoes

• 1 Make a shallow cross at the stem end of 500 g ripe tomatoes, immerse in boiling water for 20 seconds, then transfer to cold water.
• 2 Peel, halve across the middle, lightly remove the seeds and cut into 2 cm cubes.

Dry-toast the almonds

• 1 Put 100 g blanched almonds in a dry frying pan over medium-low heat and toast for 3–4 minutes.
• 2 Remove when lightly colored and sweetly fragrant, and let the initial heat dissipate.

Prepare the garlic, basil and pecorino

• 1 Remove the germ from 2 garlic cloves and roughly chop.
• 2 Pick only the leaves from 40 g basil.
• 3 Finely grate 60 g pecorino.

Pound the garlic and almonds

• 1 Crush the garlic with 1/2 tsp salt in a mortar.
• 2 Add the almonds and pound to a coarse paste with pieces of about 2–3 mm remaining.

Finish the pesto

• 1 Meanwhile(While finishing the pesto) start bringing 3 L water to the boil in a large pot.
• 2 Add the basil to the mortar in several batches and crush with the pestle.
• 3 When the leaves are finely torn and fragrant, add the tomatoes and lightly crush.
• 4 Mix 90 ml extra virgin olive oil and 60 g pecorino into the mortar’s paste and stop once it is a coarse, reddish pesto.

Boil the busiate

• 1 Add 30 g salt to the water that has been brought to the boil.
• 2 Add 320 g busiate and cook for 1 minute less than the package instructions.
• 3 Reserve 120 ml cooking water.

Toss the pasta with the pesto

• 1 Transfer the pesto to a large bowl and loosen with 60 ml pasta water.
• 2 Add the busiate and toss thoroughly off the heat for about 1 minute.

Plate and grind over pepper

• 1 Plate and add 2–3 turns of black pepper.