Forget green pesto: this is what you'll always top your spaghetti with

If I get pasta every day for the rest of my life, I will die happy (and probably with cozy rolls). I love well-filled pasta, string pasta, fresh pasta, frozen pasta, but especially: pasta with pesto. I often whip mine up with basil myself, but it seems (say my colleagues from FavorFlav) that I will forget the green variant because of Toscanini's almond pesto.

Trapani is a city on the west side of the island. The ships from Genoa made a stop there on their way to the Orient and introduced their agliata and pesto alla Genovese. This is a Sicilian variant of that.

Traditionally, pesto is made in a mortar, but the food processor is less labor-intensive and also gives a great result.

Preparation method:

1. Bring a small pot of water to a boil. Score the tomatoes on the rounded side and place them in the boiling water for ten seconds. Remove them with a slotted spoon and immediately plunge them into ice water. You can now easily remove the skin. Cut in half and remove the seeds and the stem. Chop the flesh finely.

2. Put the almonds, garlic, and basil in the mortar or food processor. Grind or pulse into a coarse paste. Gradually add the oil. Remove the pesto from the mortar or food processor and place it in a bowl. Stir in the tomatoes and Pecorino Romano and season with salt and pepper.

3. Put a large pot of water on. When it boils, add salt and the spaghetti. Drain when it is al dente, but save a cup of cooking water.

4. Put the pasta back in the pot off the heat and stir in the pesto. Add a little cooking water if necessary.

5. Serve immediately, with some Pecorino Romano for those who want it.

Text: FavorFlav