Busiate al Pesto Trapanese
(boo-zee-AH-teh ahl PEH-stoh trah-pah-NEH-zeh)
L'Arte dell'Arrangiarsi: Weeknight Cucina Povera
When Ligurian sailors docked in western Sicily centuries ago, they brought their basil pesto with them. But Sicilians, masters of making do, looked at their sun-drenched land and made the recipe their own. They swapped expensive pine nuts for local almonds, reduced the basil, and added handfuls of sweet, juicy tomatoes. Known natively as pasta cu l'agghia, this is the ultimate weeknight savior. It requires zero cooking time for the sauce. While traditionally pounded in a mortar, we adapt it for the food processor with one strict rule from the old country: pulse, don't puree. Close your eyes, let the smell of raw garlic and olive oil hit the hot pasta, and you're right back home.
Before you start
Gently squeeze the halved cherry tomatoes to discard excess seeds and water.
This critical water-saving trick prevents the raw pesto from becoming a watery soup and ensures the sauce clings beautifully to the pasta.
Pluck the green inner germ out from the halved garlic cloves.
Standard American garlic can be excessively sharp and bitter; removing the germ mimics the sweeter, more digestible red garlic native to Trapani.
Ingredients
- Busiate casarecce or gemelli pasta1 lb
- sweet cherry or grape tomatoes1 pt
- blanched almonds1/2 cup
- garlic2 large
- fresh sweet basil leaves1 cup
- extra virgin olive oil1/3 cup
- Pecorino Romano cheese1/2 cup
- kosher salt1 tsp
- black pepper1/4 tsp
Method
- 01
Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a rolling boil and cook the pasta until al dente.
If you can't find traditional corkscrew busiate, casarecce or gemelli work perfectly; you need a shape with structural twists to catch the granular sauce.
- 02
Place the toasted almonds and prepped garlic into a food processor and pulse until coarsely ground.
Do not blend or puree; the authentic Trapanese texture relies on remaining distinctly chunky and granular.
- 03
Add the basil leaves and pulse two or three times just to chop them.
Never let the machine run continuously, as the heat from the spinning blades will oxidize the basil and turn it black and bitter.
- 04
Add the prepped tomatoes, olive oil, salt, and pepper, pulsing a few more times until broken down.
Transfer this raw mixture to a large, cool serving bowl and stir in the grated Pecorino cheese. Never heat the sauce in a pan.
- 05
Reserve half a cup of starchy pasta water, drain the pasta, and immediately toss the hot noodles into the cool bowl of raw pesto.
The residual heat from the pasta will awaken the garlic and melt the cheese without cooking the sauce. Add a splash of pasta water if the sauce needs help emulsifying, and serve immediately.
Notes
Dairy-Free Old World Style.
Before cheese was an everyday luxury, Sicilian peasants topped this dish with muddica—toasted breadcrumbs. Toast half a cup of plain breadcrumbs in olive oil until golden and use in place of Pecorino.
Make Ahead.
The pesto can be made up to two days in advance and kept in an airtight jar in the fridge, topped with a thin layer of olive oil to prevent oxidation. Let it come to room temperature while the pasta boils.