Trofie al Pesto

RECIPE FOR FRESH BASIL PESTO

1. For this recipe you need a food processor. So wash the basil leaves with cold water then place them in a large bowl with plenty of ice for 3-4 minutes. Now dry the leaves very well. Place them into the food processor with the garlic, pine nuts and grated Parmigiano.
2. Chop the ingredients coarsely for a few seconds then add coarse salt and Pecorino cheese. Blend all the ingredients for about 1 minute.
3. Add extra virgin olive oil. Blend for about 5 minutes, until you'll get a creamy green pesto sauce

HOMEMADE TROFIE PASTA

1. Place the flour on your work surface. Then make a hole in the center. Add the fine salt and pour the water, a little at a time, in order to use what is needed to make an elastic and homogeneous mixture.
2. Knead with your hands vigorously for 5-10 minutes. The dough must be compact and must not stick to your hands. Then form a loaf and let it rest at room temperature for about 30 minutes covered with a cotton cloth.
3. Then remove a few pieces of dough and make very small balls, as big as a hazelnut. Roll the dough balls under the palm of your hand on the pastry board. The movement must take place obliquely or diagonally and not in a straight line. This will give the Trofie the classic twisted shape.
4. Boil plenty of salted water in a large pot.
5. When the water boils, turn down the heat and slowly pour in the trofie, a few at a time. If you bought trofie pasta, cook them following the cooking times described on the packaging.
6. If you are using fresh homemade trofie, they usually take between 5 to 7 minutes to cook. However, after the first ⅔ minutes, it's better to taste the pasta in order to drain trofie when they are al dente (not too cooked to be soft and sticky nor too raw to be hard and crunchy).
7. If your pesto is too thick, don't worry. Pour it into a little bowl and dilute it with 1 or 2 tablespoons of cooking water. This way you'll have a warmed homogeneous soft pesto sauce ready to dress your Trofie al Pesto!