Pasta With Tomato And Almond Pesto Pesto Alla Trapanese Recipes

Steps:

• A half teaspoon of red wine vinegar and ¼ teaspoon of red pepper flakes can be substituted for the pepperoncini. If you don't have a food processor, a blender may be substituted. In step 2, pulse ingredients until roughly chopped, then proceed with the recipe, reducing processing times by half.
• 1. Toast almonds in small skillet over medium heat, stirring frequently, until pale golden and fragrant, 2 to 4 minutes. Cool almonds to room temperature.
• 2. Process cooled almonds, tomatoes, basil, garlic, pepperoncini, 1 teaspoon salt, and red pepper flakes (if using) in food processor until smooth, about 1 minute. Scrape down sides of bowl with rubber spatula. With machine running, slowly drizzle in oil, about 30 seconds.
• 3. Meanwhile, bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. Add pasta and 1 tablespoon salt and cook until al dente. Reserve ½ cup cooking water; drain pasta and transfer back to cooking pot.
• 4. Add pesto and ½ cup Parmesan to cooked pasta, adjusting consistency with reser.

Steps:

• Rinse the cherry tomatoes and basil leaves and pat them dry.
• Drop the tomatoes into the blender jar or food processor bowl followed by the garlic clove, the almonds, basil leaves, peperoncino and 1/2 tsp salt. Blend for a minute or more to a fine puree; scrape down the bowl and blend again if any large bits or pieces have survived.
• With the machine still running, pour in the olive oil in a steady stream, emulsifying the puree into a thick pesto. Taste and adjust seasoning. (If you're going dress the pasta within a couple of hours, leave the pesto at room temperature. Refrigerate if you'll use it longer storage, up to 2 days, but let it return to room temperature before cooking the pasta.)
• To cook the spaghetti, heat 6 quarts of water with 1 tablespoon salt, to the boil in the large pot. Scrape all the pesto into a big warm bowl.
• Cook the spaghetti al dente, lift it from the cooking pot, drain briefly, and drop onto the pesto. Toss quickly to coat the spaghetti, sprinkle the cheese all over, and toss again. Serve immediately in warm bowls.

Steps:

• Score tomatoes by cutting a small 'X' on the bottom of each. Drop in boiling water 1-2 minutes until the skins loosen. Drain and rinse under cold water. Use a paring knife to remove skins. Slice tomatoes in half and scoop out seeds with spoon. Chop.
• Place tomatoes, almonds, basil and garlic in a blender, food processer, or mortar. Drizzle in the olive oil and blend, process or grind with pestle until pureed to the desired consistency (almonds should still be a bit crunchy).
• Add salt and pepper and serve over cooked pasta.