Serves 4
Preparation time 2 minutes
Cooking time 10–12 minutes
400 g (13 oz) dried trofie
75 g (3 oz) basil leaves
50 g (2 oz) pine nuts
2 garlic cloves
50 g (2 oz) Parmesan cheese, freshly grated, plus extra to serve
100 ml (3½ fl oz) olive oil
salt and black pepper
basil leaves, to garnish
Cook the pasta in a large saucepan of salted boiling water according to the packet instructions until al dente.
Meanwhile, put the basil, pine nuts and garlic in a food processor and process until well blended. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the Parmesan and oil. Season with salt and pepper.
Drain the pasta, reserving a ladleful of the cooking water, and return to the pan. Stir in the pesto, adding enough of the reserved pasta cooking water to loosen the mixture. Serve immediately with a scattering of grated Parmesan and garnished with basil leaves.
For potato & bean pesto pasta, the classic Genovese way of serving pesto, start by cooking 250 g (8 oz) peeled and sliced potatoes in a large saucepan of salted boiling water for 5 minutes, then add the pasta and cook according to the packet instructions until al dente. When there are 5 minutes of the cooking time remaining, add 150 g (5 oz) trimmed French beans to the pan. After draining the pasta, stir in the pesto as above. A long pasta shape such as linguine suits this variation better.