Pesto Pasta with Taggiasche Olives and Datterino Tomatoes
This dish comes from an Italian home cook named Silvana Ghillani, who lives in the Parma province in northern Italy. In this recipe, fresh tomatoes are the key ingredient, mixing with pesto, olives, and Parmigiano-Reggiano to make a flavorful pasta sauce.
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1 cup datterino or cherry tomatoes
⅓ cup pitted olives, such as taggiasche liguri
Salt
⅓ cup fresh basil leaves
1 ounce aged Pecorino Sardo cheese
2 ounces Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
2 tablespoons pine nuts
3-4 walnut halves
1 garlic clove
⅔ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 box trofie or other small pasta, preferably whole grain
Wash the tomatoes and cut into thin slices. Place the tomatoes in a bowl and sprinkle with salt to release the juices. Add the olives and let rest for half an hour.
Wash the basil and gently dry the leaves with absorbent paper, making sure not to break them. Once dried out, add the basil, Pecorino, Parmigiano-Reggiano, pine nuts, walnuts, and garlic to the bowl of a food processor or mortar and pestle. Combine to form a paste. Add the extra-virgin olive oil, and combine again. l and mix everything together.
In the meantime, cook the pasta in boiling salty water. Set aside a few spoonfuls of the cooking water. Drain the pasta and dress with pesto. Add the tomato and the olive mixture. Add just enough of the reserved cooking water to form a sauce that coats the pasta. Serve.
Recipe by Silvana Ghillani, from Parmigiano-Reggiano
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