The award-winning pasta pesto that you can also make
Say wine, snacks or haute cuisine and the gourmands at online food magazine FavorFlav know where to drink, how to eat it and what to cook. This time our cheffies serve you: the surprising recipe for pasta pesto by the famous chef Massimo Bottura.
Three-star chef Massimo Bottura invited us for a Zoom call and it was an hour and a half of enjoyment and we learned the trick to make pasta pesto even tastier. We are of course happy to share that with you.
Preparation: 10 min
Persons: 4
Ingredients:
400 g artisanal dried pasta (Bottura uses the Fusilli from Gragnano PGI)
1 clove of peeled garlic
100 g fresh basil
10 g mint leaves
10 g parsley leaves
50 g breadcrumbs
1 g salt (for the pasta water)
150 g grated Parmigiano Reggiano (24 or 36 months)
70 g extra virgin olive oil (Bottura uses that from Villa Manodori)
30 g cold water (preferably chilled for 3 hours)
Massimo Bottura, that name is probably not unfamiliar to you. He was one of the stars in the Netflix series Chef’s Table and cooked in his Osteria Francescana three Michelin stars together. If there is anyone who breathes Italian cuisine, it is him. Or as he says himself: ‘There is no blood, but Aceto Balsamico flowing through my veins and my muscles are made of Parmesan cheese.’ The fact that he mentions these two products is no coincidence; Massimo Bottura comes from Emilia-Romagna and balsamic vinegar and Parmesan cheese are the most famous products from this region. His Osteria Francescana is located in Modena, where the only real balsamic vinegar comes from.
Against food waste
A few years ago, Massimo and his wife Lara founded the foundation Food for Soul , an organization that aims to make healthy eating possible for everyone. This led to the so-called refettorio, a kind of soup kitchen where he processed food surpluses into cheap meals, so that even people with little money can eat well. ‘The kitchen of leftovers is very important. My grandmother never threw anything away, in my family there was no food waste and I inherited that. No Parmesan cheese rind is thrown away, it is cooked, or goes in the oven with a little bit of white, sautéed onions. Or on the pizza... delicious!’ The refettorio is a great success; there are now refettorios in Milan, Rio de Janeiro, London, and Paris. You understand: I think he is a hero.
Zooming with Bottura
During my Zoom meeting with Massimo Bottura, I was glued to my screen. The way he talks about Italian cuisine and his love for authentic Italian products is incredibly inspiring. In between, he showed how he makes his killer pasta pesto, and if you thought you knew everything about this winning dish... Think again and definitely read on.
Zooming with my hero Massimo Bottura
With pesto you can go in all directions
As is the case for almost every Italian dish, the same goes for pesto: every Italian makes it in their own way, sometimes in the classic way, like di mamma used to make it, sometimes a little differently. For example, I once learned from a chef to add herb broth to the pesto, another chef advised a bit of anchovy, and FavorFlavs Emma swears by a lump of butter and a splash of cooking water for super creamy pesto. But Bottura's trick, I didn't know that yet.
Fresh herbs, breadcrumbs and...
Here's how to make Massimo Bottura's pasta pesto
- Start with the cooking of the pasta in very well boiling and salted water. No simmering, no weak bubbles; it must be boiling.
- Then the pesto. Bottura makes it with basil and mint. But first, he puts a clove of garlic (smashed with a knife) in the blender. Then he adds the basil, with a bit of mint. Tip from Bottura: basil and thyme are also a very tasty combination, and a bit of parsley is also nice. Then: some finely ground old breadcrumbs. Bottura: ‘This came about because we didn't have pine nuts available during quarantine.’ Then in the blender: Parmigiano Reggiano - the only real.
- Parmesan cheese, the king of cheeses, aged 24 or 36 months. Bottura, emotional: ‘Many products are imitated abroad, it is said that they come from Italy, but they do not come from Italy at all. I often see fake products during my travels. Parmesan cheese, imitated in South America, wow... That is not Parmesan cheese!’ Set aside six spoons of cheese to finish the plate. Meanwhile, Bottura adds olive oil to the blender.
Cold water
And then, here it comes: a bit of cold water that has been in the fridge for three hours. Bottura: ‘Cold water enriches the quality of the ingredients and helps avoid oxidation.’ Blend as quickly as possible. And then: taste! ‘The best tool of a chef is his own mouth. Is everything well balanced? That is the most important thing. The balance between the ingredients is essential. Italian cuisine means being sensitive. I didn't use salt because Parmesan cheese already contains salt.’
And then: taste! Is everything in balance?
Is the pasta al dente (al dente), then put it in the colander, without rinsing and save a bit of cooking water. Put the pesto in a bowl or in the pan in which the pasta was cooked, add the pasta and mix with the sauce. If the pasta seems too dry, add some of the cooking water to make it creamier. Let the pasta rest for a moment. Bottura: ‘I never find pasta too warm in the summer very nice.‘ Finish the dish with some Parmigiano Reggiano and some grated lemon. Heaven on earth. Buon appetito!
Add at the end: lemon zest.
