Traditionally, the Genovese pesto recipe is served with fresh Trofie pasta, green beans, and potatoes. They are all cooked together as the starch from the potatoes makes the sauce creamier.
Course Pasta
Cuisine Italian
Keyword Genovese pesto, Pasta with Pesto, trofie with pesto
In a large pan boil the potatoes for 13 minutes with 1 tablespoon of salt
1 tablespoon sea coarser salt
Clean and trim the stem ends of the green beans
7 oz fresh green beans
Add the green beans to the boiling potatoes and boil for 2 more minutes
Add the trofie and cook for 3 more minutes. The trofie cooking time should be 3 minutes.
1 lb fresh trofie pasta
All the vegetables and the pasta should finish cooking at the same time.
Make the Pesto
Add all the ingredients for the pesto in a blender.
2 cups fresh basil leaves, 6 tablespoon freshly grated Parmesan, 2 tablespoon Pecorino cheese, ½ cup extra virgin olive oil, 1 clove peeled garlic cloves, 1 pinch salt
The pesto should be mixed gradually with pulsing movements. If mixed continuously the heat created by the blades will oxidize the basil turning the pesto into a dark colour.
Add 2 tablespoon of the boiling water into the pesto to make it creamier. I also add 1 tablespoon of butter, but it is optional
1 tablespoon butter
Combining all
Drain the Trofie, the potatoes and the green beans
Mix immediately with the pesto, add the pine nuts, more Parmesan and serve while still warm
1 tablespoon pine nuts
Serve them
Video
Notes
The pesto should be made with intermittent pulses otherwise the heat from the blade will oxidize the basil. The result is a bitter and dark-looking pesto.
Also, add the pine nuts last if you want to taste their crunchiness.
You can keep the pesto in the fridge for up to 1 week.
You could freeze the pesto into an ice cube container, but don't expect the same taste like a fresh one.
The potatoes, the green beans, and the Trofie are cooked in the same pot as the starch from the potatoes adds to the creaminess of the pasta.
All the vegetables and the pasta should finish cooking at the same time. 18 minutes for the potatoes, 5 for the green beans and 3 for the trofie. If the trofie have a cooking time longer than 3 minutes add them earlier.