As with most kids this summer, my two little ones recently became obsessed with Disney’s newest animated film, Luca. They watched it over and over again yelling out “Silencio Bruno!” at the screen. While everyone else was immersing themselves in the cute and heartfelt story, one thing kept capturing my attention…the pasta. Each time that I viewed the movie with my kids, my mouth would water just thinking about how tasty that pesto sauce would be over fresh pasta. Luckily for me, my loving husband also happens to be a talented chef. Together, we adapted, tweaked, and perfected our very own version of Massimo’s pasta. From our home to yours, here’s Trenette al Pesto. We hope that you enjoy it!
Trenette al Pesto
Ingredients for pasta:
1-16 oz. pack of pasta (In the movie, they use trenette pasta but you can use whichever pasta you prefer)
⅔ cup green beans
1 large yellow potato (cubed in 1-inch pieces)
Ingredients for pesto sauce:
45 basil leaves
2 cloves of garlic
A pinch of coarse salt
2 tablespoons of grated parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons of pecorino cheese
½ cup of pistachio nuts
½ cup of extra-virgin olive oil
1 lime (zested and juiced)
½ teaspoon of crushed red pepper (optional)
Directions:
- Put the basil, garlic, pistachios, grated parmesan, grated pecorino, lime juice, lime zest, and crushed red pepper in a food processor with a pinch of coarse salt on high. Slowly add a bit of oil as you go.
- As you continue to add the olive oil, the consistency should be that of a very dense cream, and the quantity of oil needed will vary depending on the mixture’s degree of absorption. (Make sure not to run the food processor too long or it will overheat and cook your basil and cheese-which you don’t want)
- Boil water for the pasta. Once it’s at a boil, throw in the green beans and the potato. After 1-2 minutes, add in your pasta.
- Drain the pasta, green beans, and potatoes once their cooked but still “al dente.” Save a little of the pasta water for the sauce.
- Place the pesto on the bottom of the serving bowl. Add a couple of spoonfuls of the pasta water for the pesto.
- Then add the pasta, green beans, and potatoes to the bowl with the pesto. Mix it well and serve.
