Pesto Trapanese Recipe on Food52 (2024)

FAQs

What is trapanese pesto made of? ›

It has a lot in common with the Ligurian pesto—it's rich with nuts, basil, olive oil, garlic, and cheese. But the nuts are almonds, not pine nuts, and there's an additional ingredient that transforms the sauce into something even lighter and more refreshing: tomatoes.

Properly made pesto tastes fresh and zingy and balanced, not muddy. Each flavor component is identifiable—the fragrant basil, the pungent garlic, the buttery olive oil and sweet pine nuts, the tangy cheeses—and yet none dominates. Basil is the star, for sure, but its perfume works in balance with the other ingredients.

Pesto is a sauce originating in Genoa, located in Italy's northern region. It originated around the 16th century and traditionally consists of crushed garlic, basil, and pine nuts blended with Parmesan cheese and olive oil.

Pesto alla Trapanese

What makes it different from Pesto alla Genovese is that it uses almonds as opposed to pine nuts, and gets finished with fresh tomatoes, which are bountiful in the south. In Sicily, they use the Pachino tomato, which are small, sweet, and similar to cherry tomatoes.

Trapanese is an Italian surname, meaning literally "Trapanese", "from the city of Trapani or "from the province of Trapani" and may refer to: Joseph Trapanese (born 1984), American composer. Rita Trapanese (1951–2000), Italian figure skater.

If your pesto taste bitter, it is probably your olive oil. Since olive oil is an integral ingredient, you must use a quality extra virgin olive oil. Overuse if a machine.

The most common reason for pesto tasting bitter is that the olive oil is past its best and has started to turn rancid. If the pesto has been made in a food processor or blender, there's also the possibility that it has turned bitter from the crude, sheering action of the blades.

Anything sugary will work: granulated white sugar, honey, fruit juices, even sweet dessert wines. Acid in the form of vinegar or citrus juices can make a pesto taste less bitter and could even enhance the flavour of the sauce at the same time.

Because its ingredients include olive oil, nuts, and cheese, pesto can be high in calories and fat. However, the fat is primarily unsaturated and may have heart health benefits. Pesto is also full of antioxidants that can help protect your cells from damage.

Pesto will last in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. If you've stored it in the freezer, it will last for 6 months. When you're ready to use frozen pesto, thaw it overnight in the fridge or place the container of pesto in a bowl of warm water for a quicker thawing time. Do not try to thaw frozen pesto by microwaving it!

What do Italians eat pesto with? ›

Italian Tradition

Pesto is the perfect sauce to enjoy with a dish of trofie (the traditional Ligurian short pasta), lasagna, potato gnocchi or as a topping for a bowl of minestrone. It can be mixed into tomato sauce to enhance the flavor of pasta dishes or used with fish fillets to make them more appetizing.

With origins in Sicily, pesto alla trapanese is a delicious result of cross-cultural cuisine and a flavorful way to make use of fresh summer produce. Dating back to Italy's maritime past, Ligurian sailors would arrive home at the port of Trapani in Sicily after lengthy travels through Eastern Asia.

A bit of history

In the past, Genoese ships stopped at the port of Trapani, bringing the tradition of the Ligurian agliata, made with garlic and walnuts. From this recipe, what we now know as Trapanese pesto was developed by Trapani sailors using the products of their land, tomatoes, and almonds.

What makes it different from Pesto Alla Genovese is that it uses almonds as opposed to pine nuts, and gets finished with fresh tomatoes, which are bountiful in the south. In Sicily, they use the Pachino tomato - which are small, sweet, and similar to cherry tomatoes.