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Trenette al Pesto (as seen in Luca)

by 32mafiaman

3 Comments

  1. 32mafiaman

    For the basil pesto
    2 ½ cups fresh basil leaves

    ½ cup Parmigiano Reggiano grated, or Pecorino Romano, plus more for serving
    ¼ cup pine nuts toasted

    1 clove garlic chopped

    1 tsp lemon zest plus half a lemon juiced

    1 tsp Kosher salt

    ⅛ tsp freshly ground black pepper plus more for serving

    ½ cup extra virgin olive oil

    Or two 6-10oz jars of store bought pesto.

    For the pasta

    1 lb trenette pasta can use spaghetti or linguine

    ½ lb green beans ends trimmed and cut into 1 ½ – 2 inch pieces

    1 large Russet potato peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes

    Extra virgin olive oil for serving

    Flaky sea salt for serving

    Instructions

    Make the pesto sauce. Place all ingredients except for olive oil in the bowl of a food processor fitted with blade attachment: 2 ½ cups basil leaves, ½ cup grated Parmesan, ¼ cup toasted pine nuts, 1 clove chopped garlic, 1 tsp lemon zest, ½ lemon juiced, 1 tsp Kosher salt, and ⅛ tsp black pepper. Pulse until very finely chopped.

    Finish with olive oil. With the machine on, slowly drizzle in ½ cup extra virgin olive oil until smooth and emulsified. Set aside or store in a fridge until needed.

    Boil the water. Bring a large pot of water to a rapid boil, then season generously with 1-2 Tbsp Kosher salt.

    Cook the potatoes. Carefully place the peeled cubed potato into the boiling water. Cook for about 3-4 minutes.

    Add the pasta and string beans. Add pasta to the same large pot, then give it a good stir. Cook until al dente according to package instructions (usually 9-13 minutes, depending on the pasta). After 5 minutes, add the cut string beans. Check to make sure each ingredient is fully cooked, then reserve ½ cup of cooking water. Drain everything

    Toss with pesto sauce. To the same large pot, pour in the prepared pesto sauce. Place over medium heat, then add the drained pasta and veggies along with ½ cup of reserved pasta cooking water. Toss until heated through and the pasta is well coated, about 2 minutes.

    Finish, then serve. Plate the pasta, sprinkle with additional Parmesan, then drizzle each portion with a little extra virgin olive oil, a pinch of flaky sea salt, and extra black pepper, if wanted. Serve immediately!

  2. That looks amazing. Hopefully you loved Luca as much as I did.

  3. This has become one of my go to recipes since seeing it in the movie.

    Looks great!

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