Caserecci con Pesto Trapanese (Fat Past Twists with Sicilian-style Pesto Sauce) and Mixed Berry Cobbler

Photo Courtesy of Brad Lovejoy

I know I have professed my appreciation for Marlena Spieler's "Pasta" cookbook in several prior posts but I can't help but go there again. I absolutely adore her recipes because they always turn out impeccably. We hosted some dear friends for dinner last night; Andrew, Pamela, Thea and Maggie Harnish, and I really wanted to treat them to a delicious meal. Pamela is a pesto connoisseur so when I found this recipe for Caserecci con Pesto Trapanese (which translated is Fat Pasta Twists with Sicilian-style Pesto Sauce), I thought it was a good choice. I did however, call Pamela to let her choose between two pasta dishes and she chose the pesto dish hands down.

I am not a stranger to making pesto but this recipe intrigued me because it calls for almonds instead of pine nuts. I have prepared pesto with both pine nuts and walnuts but never with almonds. Before I provide further comment, please read the recipe below.

Ingredients:

2-3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 ounce shelled almonds, raw or roasted, coarsely chopped

3 1/2 ounces Parmesan or pecorino cheese, freshly grated or in small pieces

1 1/2 ounces fresh basil leaves

4 1/2 fluid ounces extra virgin olive oil

4 ounces ripe tomatoes, diced

salt and freshly ground black pepper

14 ounces caserecci, gamelli (pasta twists), or similar

extra Parmesan for grating on top

Photo Courtesy of Brad Lovejoy

If preparing by hand, chop everything finely and mix together in bowl. If using food processor or blender (I used a processor), whizz garlic, add almonds and cheese and process until almonds are chunky. Remove to bowl and finely chop basil in processor or blender, add olive oil and whizz together. Stir into nut and cheese mixture, stir in tomatoes and taste for seasoning.

In large pan of rapidly boiling salted water, cook pasta until al dente and drain, reserving a little of cooking water. Toss hot pasta with pesto, adding a few tablespoons of reserved water if desired. Serve, offering extra Parmesan to grate on top.

First of all, let me tell you that this dish is delectable. The pesto is a wonderful texture because the recipe requires the basil and nut mixture to be blended separately. I believe keeping them separate helped the almonds to maintain a crunchier texture, which added to the nuttiness of the pesto. I have over-processed pesto a few times and although tasty, the nutty texture is not discernible. Perhaps my favorite part of the dish however, was the addition of tomatoes. I have never even considered that tomatoes and pesto would work together but they are wonderful partners. Tomatoes made the dish juicy and a bit sweeter, which I loved.

I know I am on my soapbox again, but I cannot stress enough the importance of high quality pasta. For this recipe, I discovered a fresh pasta made by Lagana Foods, which is a Seattle-based company. They make bronze cut pasta which uses bronze dies to extrude the dough. This gives the pasta an intentionally rougher texture to provide better grip for the sauce. This is the first time I have eaten bronze cut pasta and I am officially a believer. It is wonderful! Not only is the pasta beautifully packaged, the shape of the pasta is just plain pretty. If you live in Seattle, please try this brand of pasta. If you live elsewhere, I encourage you to find a local handmade pasta. You will not be disappointed.

I served this dish with a mixed herb salad with radishes, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers and sunflower seeds and a loaf of locally made crusty bread. Finally, I prepared a Mixed Berry Cobbler for dessert.

Photo Courtesy of Brad Lovejoy

Ingredients:

4 cups mixed fresh or frozen berries (I used blueberries, raspberries and blackberries)

1 cup plus 1 Tbsp sugar

2 Tbsp water

1/3 cup butter

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 Tbsp baking powder

1 cup whole milk

vanilla ice cream or frozen yogurt for serving

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In medium bowl, stir together berries with 1/4 cup sugar and water. Let stand for 10 minutes. Melt butter in 8" X 8" glass baking dish in oven.

In medium bowl, stir together 3/4 cup sugar, flour and baking powder. Stir in milk and mix well. Remove baking dish from oven and pour batter on top of butter. Do not stir. Spoon undrained berries on top. Sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon sugar. Bake until bubbly and top is golden, about 40 minutes. Let cool on wire rack. Serve warm with ice cream.

In a nutshell, this dessert was satisfying and tasty. I served it with Dreyer's lowfat vanilla ice cream while the cobbler was still warm. What a great evening. Very few things are better than a lovely meal with fabulous friends.