Pesto Genovese →

This recipe is adapted from Pesto World Championship finalist, 77-year-old Maurizio Valle. Valle’s specialty is “pesto genovese” which uses garden fresh basil, pine nuts, garlic, good quality olive oil, a mixture of Parmesan and Pecorino Romano cheeses, and coarse salt. One of the most famous and versatile Italian sauces worldwide, the word “pesto” comes from the Italian “pestare” meaning to crush. According to Saveur, the recipe for Pesto Genovese first appeared in Giovanni Battista Ratto’s “La Cuciniera Genovese” in 1863. This version of Valle’s recipe adds a bit of lemon zest and uses an easy two-step method that is less labor intensive than using a mortar and pestle to crush the ingredients with similar results. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. Mangiare bene!

PESTO GENOVESE
Ingredients

• 3 cups of fresh basil leaves (smaller leaves preferred)

• 3 tablespoons of pine nuts

• 1 clove of garlic

• 1/2 teaspoon coarse Kosher or sea salt

• 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

• a mixture of 4 tablespoons of grated Parmigiano Reggiano, plus ½ tablespoon Pecorino Romano

• 1/3 cup mildly flavored extra-virgin olive oil

• Optional: ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

Preparation (you can do it the traditional way using a mortar and pestle and a lot of elbow grease, or use the two-step method below)

1. Place all the ingredients into a small food processor. Blend as finely as you can, pausing to scrape down the sides of the processor until you have a paste.

2. Scrape the paste into a Weck jar or other jar slightly wider than the immersion blender. (I use a 4-cup Pyrex measuring cup.) Process using an immersion blender until you have a smooth emulsified paste.

3. Use three tablespoons of the pesto paste for every four ounces of dry pasta. Cook the pasta to al dente and drain reserving a small amount of the cooking water. Add the cooked pasta to the paste and mix well. The water from the pasta will loosen the paste to create your pesto sauce. If necessary, add a small amount of the reserved pasta cooking water to achieve the sauce consistency you prefer.

4. Garnish with shaved Parmesan or a sprinkle of toasted Panko bread crumbs.

Note: try walnuts in place of pine nuts

Shrimp Pesto

For Freezing: some people will blanch the basil leaves and immediately give them a cold water bath to preserve the bright green color of the leaves. If you take this extra step, dry the leaves well before processing them. Process the pesto as above. As a rule of thumb, use 3 tablespoons of pesto per 4 ounces of dry pasta; 3/4 cup (12 tbs.) of pesto will sauce about a pound of pasta. Measure and freeze the pesto in freezer containers topped off with a thin layer of olive oil to help prevent the basil from oxidizing and turning an unappetizing color. Alternatively, spoon the pesto into ice-cube trays, top with olive oil (optional), and freeze. Once frozen, the pesto-cubes can be stored in zip-lock plastic bags in your freezer for up to 6 months. For reference later, it's helpful to note how many tablespoons of pesto you use for one cube or each container.

Wine pairing:
White wines: Viognier, Pinot Gris, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio, Vermentino
Red wines: Rosé or a light-bodied red wine like a Beaujolais or Pinot Noir

Adapted from: https://food52.com/blog/25401-how-to-make-pesto

Lemon Pasta (Pasta al limone) →

Pasta al limone is another wonderful example of Italian cucina semplice (“simple cooking”). Like so many classic Italian dishes, it seems like every Italian chef and cook has their own version, but regardless of how you get there, the goal is a light pasta dressed with a creamy, lemony sauce. The lemony sauce for this delicious dish is achieved by the emulsion of starchy pasta water, butter, and pecorino romano cheese infused with finely grated lemon zest and lemon juice and it only takes about 15 minutes to prepare! Prepare to fall in love with this simple Italian classic recipe. Serve it as a light starter for a larger meal or add a piece of grilled chicken or some spicy shrimp and a green salad for a tasty, quick, and easy weeknight meal. Sit back, close your eyes and imagine you’re with a special friend in a small bistro on the Italian Amalfi coast. Buon appetito!

Lemon Pasta (Pasta al limone)
Serves 4  

INGREDIENTS
·  8 ounces linguini
·  2 cloves garlic thinly sliced
·  1 red chili or 1 Calabrian chili thinly sliced or ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
·  3 tablespoons olive oil
·  3 tablespoons butter
·  1 cup pasta water
·  1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
·  3 tablespoons grated lemon zest (about 1 good size lemon) + 2 tablespoons for garnish
·  1/3 cup pecorino romano
·  ¼ cup parmesan for garnish
·  salt and pepper
·  1/3 cup fresh parsley (you can also use mint or fresh basil)

PREPARATION
1.  Cook the pasta for half the time in the directions; use less water than you normally would so the pasta water is more starchy than usual.
2.  Over medium heat, sauté the garlic and red pepper in the olive oil for a minute or two until fragrant. (don't burn!)
3.  Add the lemon zest and swirl around to incorporate the zest into the garlic-olive oil.
4.  Immediately add the half-cooked pasta to the saucepan and stir to combine; reserve the pasta water.
5.  Add 1/3 cup pasta cooking water and the lemon juice; stir and bring to a boil; reduce the heat to medium.
6.  Add the parsley and stir to incorporate.
7.  Cook the pasta for the remaining recommended time until it is al dente and the starchy water has mostly evaporated and is creamy (like risotto); add an additional small amount of pasta water if the pasta is too dry.
8.  Add 3 tablespoons of butter and stir to melt and combine into the sauce.
9.  If the sauce isn’t loose enough, add an additional small amount of pasta water to bring the sauce to the creamy consistency you want. Keep stirring.
10. Remove the pan from the heat and, while stirring, sprinkle on 1/3 cup freshly grated pecorino romano, continuing to stir until the pecorino melts and the sauce is creamy.
11.  Adjust the salt and pepper to taste.
12.  Garnish with lemon zest and parmesan

Wine pairing: Chablis, Albariño, Verdicchio, Pinot Grigio, a soft, Loire Valley Sauvignon Blanc, or even a fresh Vinho Verde. In Italy a light red Valpolicella is often the wine of choice with pasta al limone.

Adapted from Gennaro Contaldo’s tribute to his longtime friend Antonio Carluccio:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwDJi_PB-wY 

Cacio e Pepe →

Photo: c. foodblogchef 2021

Another classic Italian “cucina contadina” recipe, Cacio e Pepe (cheese and pepper) probably originated in the Lazio region of Italy. Food historians attribute the recipe to the traditional food of country shepherds dating back to the time of the Roman Empire. Today it is a famous classic pasta dish of Rome and like any classic dish, there are many variations. The original recipe calls for Pecorino Romano cheese, “cacio” in Roman dialect, but some contemporary recipes use a combination of Pecorino Romano and Parmesano Regiano, or Grana Padano, while some other contemporary recipes call for using olive oil, or butter, or milk in the sauce. This version maintains a commitment to the classic recipe calling for only four ingredients: Pecorino Romano (cacio), black pepper (pepe), a thick pasta like bucatini, and some of the hot starchy water the pasta is cooked in. Timing (technique) is everything with this simple but delicious pasta dish. Don’t be discouraged if it doesn’t come out perfectly the first time. Getting the finely grated cheese to emulsify without clumping is the trick. This recipe is a road map, adjust your method according to your kitchen and tastes. Persist and you will be rewarded! Check out the YouTube video link to develop your own method! Mangia e buon appetito!

Cacio e Pepi
Serves 2-3

Ingredients:
·   6 ounces of a thick pasta like bucatini (a little less than ½ a box)
·   1 ½ – 2 teaspoons coarsely cracked/crushed black pepper (you want the sauce to be peppery; use a
meat mallet or some other heavy instrument to crack the peppercorns between pieces of paper)
·   1- 1 ½ cups finely grated Pecorino Romano (use the finest grater on a box grater)
·   Pasta water
·   salt for the pasta water

Method:
1. Bring 6-8 cups of water to a boil. (depending on the size of your pot; you want the pasta to just be submerged) Add a couple of teaspoons of salt to the boiling water, add the pasta, and cook, stirring occasionally, until about 2 minutes before the instructions on the box call for “al dente”. (if a 9 minute normal cook time, cook for 7 minutes) Use less water than the instructions on the box call for because you want the cooking water to be very starchy to create the creamy sauce (“cremina”). 

2. Meanwhile, over low heat in a heated dutch oven or another heavy bottom pan, toast the cracked black pepper until it is fragrant (about a minute or less, don’t burn it) Add ½ cup starchy pasta cooking water to the toasted pepper and reduce until the water is almost evaporated. 

3. While the pepper and pasta water sauce is reducing, in a warm bowl, add 1 cup hot pasta water to the Pecorino Romano and stir vigorously until you have a smooth, velvety sauce. (Note: about a 1-1 ratio of starchy water to the finely grated cheese.) 

4. (Don’t drain the pasta.) Add a ½ cup of hot pasta water to the pan with the black pepper and bring to a boil. Using tongs, add the undercooked pasta to the pan and continue cooking until al dente (not mushy!). 

5. Remove the pan from the heat, add the Pecorino sauce to the pasta, a little at a time, stirring constantly to make the luscious creamy sauce. Once the pasta is cooked to al dente and the sauce is velvety and creamy, your cacio e pepe is done. If the pasta is too dry and the sauce too thick and pasty and not saucy enough, slowly add a few tablespoons more of hot pasta water, stirring vigorously until the sauce is saucy and velvety, but not thin. (It should stick to the pasta and slowly drip off when you lift the pasta out of the pan.) 

6. Serve immediately in warmed bowls. Garnish with some more black pepper and Pecorino. You can also add a few red pepper flakes (optional). Good crusty bread is highly recommended. 

Serve as the “primi” for a big Italian meal, or as your main course for a simple weeknight meal along with a green salad, or grilled vegetables, or a Caprese salad of tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, basil, and olive oil. Mangia e buon appetito! 

Photo: c. foodblogchef 2021

Wine pairing:  choose wines that will stand up to this creamy peppery dish. For whites wines try Pinot Grigio, Orvieto, Vermentino, or a dry Riesling; red wines include Chianti, Pinot Noir, or a fruity Merlot.
https://www.lacucinaitaliana.com/italian-food/how-to-cook/cacio-e-pepe-guide-to-cook
https://greatist.com/eat/lidia-bastianich-takes-us-through-the-history-of-cacio-e-pepe
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btpR-RpY-3Q (Highly recommend this video for the proper method.)