Spaghetti al pesto by Stefano

This is a dish that Stefano cooked the last time we met. It's been a while but he has just sent me his precious recipe and some interesting information about the dish and tips on how to enjoy an italian dining experience in London.

Serves 4

Preparation time: 30 minutes

Cooking time: 10 minutes (al dente)

Ingredients

40 basil leaves

1 tablespoon of pine kernels

2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced or crushed

½ teaspoons coarse sea salt

50 g freshly grated Parmesan cheese

50 g freshly grates Pecorino Romano

150 ml extravergin olive oil

Spaghetti al pesto (spaghetti with basil sauce)

This is a traditional sauce from Liguria, a coastal Italian region that stretches from France to Tuscany. I am from Lunigiana, a Tuscan valley that borders this region and gets culinary contamination from all the neighbours.

What I'm proposing to you is the Lunigiana version of pesto, with a London twist. At home the sauce is prepared by pounding with a pestle all the ingredients in a mortar but you can more practically use a food processor.

First of all, remove the leaves from a basil plant, you can easily get one either at Sainsbury's or Waitrose.

Place the pine kernels, garlic and sea salt in the food processor and start the blending. Add a few basil leaves, some olive oil and a bit of the two grated cheeses and whiz. Keep adding those ingredients until you get a smooth consistence and green colour.

Bring a large pan of salted water to a boil. Add the spaghetti, bring back to boil and cook for 10 minutes. Drain and serve immediately with the pesto sauce.

Advice: leave 1/3 of the cheese to be added once the pasta is dished

London twist 1: as the basil is not strong here as it is in the Mediterranean, adding a few rocket leaves or a bit of parsley gives the pesto a special kick

London twist 2: instead of the Italian cheeses you may buy some Twineham Grange at Rippon Cheese in Pimlico. Let it mature for a week (outside the fridge) and then grate. Fantastic!

 

To drink: Vermentino di Gallura, a fruity white wine that you can find in any Italian deli

To play: Youtube “Che cosse' l'amor” by Vinicio Capossela and keep playing the song during the whole preparation