A vibrant, rustic red pesto made with fresh tomatoes, almonds, and basil, generously coating al dente rigatoni. A simple explosion of Mediterranean flavors that demands high-quality ingredients.
Ingredients
- 320 g Rigatoni
- 4 pieces Ripe tomatoes
- 50 g Whole blanched almonds
- 1 clove Garlic
- 1 bunch Fresh basil
- 50 g Pecorino romano
- 8 tbsp Extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp Coarse sea salt
- to taste Fine salt
Method
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Once boiling, add coarse salt to make the water as salty as the sea.
- Prepare the tomatoes by plunging them briefly into the boiling water, then immediately cool them in an ice bath to peel them easily. Seed and chop them coarsely.
- In a mortar or food processor, crush the garlic clove with the almonds to form a coarse paste.
- Add the tomato pieces, fresh basil leaves, and grated pecorino to the mortar. Pound or pulse to keep a rustic texture.
- Drizzle in the extra-virgin olive oil while continuing to mix, then season with fine salt. Set the pesto rosso aside at room temperature.
- Drop the rigatoni into the boiling water and cook according to the package directions until al dente.
- Just before draining the pasta, reserve some of the starchy cooking water using a ladle.
- Drain the rigatoni, leaving them slightly wet, then immediately transfer them to a large bowl with the pesto rosso.
- Add a splash of cooking water and toss vigorously to create an emulsion between the pesto and the starch, coating each rigatoni.
- Serve immediately in shallow bowls, sprinkled with crushed almonds and basil leaves if desired.
Nutrition
Per serving
- Energy
- 676.5 kcal
- Protein
- 16.39 g
- Carbohydrate
- 61.92 g
- Fat
- 41.37 g
- Fibre
- 4.39 g
- Calcium
- 31.74 mg
- Iron
- 0.47 mg
- Magnesium
- 34.24 mg
