Pasta al Pesto di Oliva
Inroduction
About this Recipe
By: Sheridan Rogers
This very simple and delicious pasta dish can be varied in a number of ways. You can use spaghetti instead of fusilli, fresh pasta instead of dry, semi-dried tomatoes instead of fresh, and fresh goats cheese instead of bocconcini. Freshly chopped flat leaf parsley is a good addition. A good one for a light lunch or entree. The recipe is from my book, The Cook’s Garden (NH).
Ingredients
- fusilli (spiral pasta) 400g
- extra virgin olive oil 2 tablespoons
- garlic 2 cloves, finely chopped
- olive paste 2 -3 tablespoons
- ripe baby plum tomatoes 15 – 20, cut in half lengthways
- bocconcini about 15, cut in half
- fresh basil a few baby leaves
Cook the pasta in plenty of rapidly boiling salted water until al dente. Drain, reserving about 1/3 cup of the pasta cooking water. Meanwhile heat the oil in a frying pan, add the garlic and cook until soft, being careful not to let it burn. Remove immediately from the heat and add the olive paste and pasta cooking water. Toss the drained pasta through the olive paste – some olive pastes are oilier than others, so use your judgement when adding it. Toss the halved tomatoes and bocconcini through the pasta and garnish with a few basil leaves. Serve with a crisp green salad.