Good-quality cheese is essential for rich, full-flavored pesto. Seek out true Italian Parmesan, as well as pecorino Sardo, a sheep's milk cheese from Sardinia. If you can't find pecorino Sardo, don't use pecorino romano, which is too strong; instead, opt for Manchego, a Spanish sheep's milk cheese. Roughly chopping the basil by hand before adding it to the food processor minimizes the mechanical action needed to break down the leaves so the pesto won't become too smooth. To store pesto, press a piece of plastic wrap against its surface and refrigerate up to 3 days.
Notes
- Don't toast the pine nuts. In Italy, the pine nuts for pesto are used raw.
- Don't be tempted to add all the ingredients at once to the food processor. Adding them in stages ensures the pesto has the correct consistency and texture, and that it won't end up thin and watery, the result of overprocessing.
Ingredients
Pesto
- 1 ¾ ounces Parmesan cheese - without rind, chopped into rough 1-inch pieces
- 1 ounce pecorino Sardo cheese - without rind, or Manchego, (don't use Pecorino Romano), chopped into rough 1-inch pieces
- ¼ cup pine nuts
- 2 medium garlic cloves - smashed and peeled
- Kosher salt
- ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 ½ ounces fresh basil leaves - about 5 cups, lightly packed
- 12 ounces campanelle
Instructions
Make the pesto:
- In a food processor, process both cheeses until broken into rough marble-sized pieces, about 10 seconds, then pulse until they have the texture of coarse sand, 5 to 10 pulses, scraping the bowl as needed. Transfer to a small bowl.
- In the food processor, combine the pine nuts, garlic, and ¾ teaspoon salt. Process until a smooth, peanut butter-like paste forms, about 1 minute, scraping the bowl as needed.
- Add the cheeses and about ½ of the oil and process until mostly smooth, 10 to 20 seconds, scraping the bowl as needed; the mixture should hold together when pressed against the bowl with a rubber spatula.
- Using a chef's knife, roughly chop the basil, then add to the food processor.
- Pulse about 10 times, scraping the bowl several times, until the basil is finely chopped and well combined with the cheese mixture.
- Add the remaining oil and pulse just until incorporated, about 2 pulses. The pesto should be thick, creamy, and spreadable.
Cook the pasta:
- Bring 4 quarts of water to a boil.
- Add 2 tablespoons of Kosher salt to the boiling water.
- Add campanelle and cook until just al dente.
- Reserve ½ cup of the salted pasta water.
Finish and serve:
- Just prior to eating, place hot pasta in a bowl, off heat.
- Pour ¼ cup of reserved pasta water into the pasta and then scrape in all of the pesto right on top of the pasta.
- Fold the pesto into the pasta, allowing the starchy cooking water to break down the pesto, until thoroughly combined.
- Portion into dishes and serve.
Nutrition
Calories: 614kcalCarbohydrates: 66gProtein: 20gFat: 30gSaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 16mgSodium: 872mgPotassium: 304mgFiber: 3gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 1061IUVitamin C: 4mgCalcium: 274mgIron: 2mg