Linguine with Pesto, Beans and Potatoes
I’ve been really into cooking and eating rustic Italian food lately. My favorite is definitely Roman-style food, but with a fridge full of basil that was on its way out, I sought the advice of Mario Batali (ok, ok, his website) for a pesto recipe and found his recipe for Linguine Genovese. The combination of pasta and potatoes, two of my favorite starches, intrigued me enough to try it out - and I’m really glad I did! This was a pretty simple dish to make, and it’s already been added to the rotation of delicious standby dinners.
Ingredients & Method:
- 3 New Potatoes or small Red Potatoes
- 1/2 cup trimmed young Green Beans or Haricots Verts
- 1/2 pound Trenette or Linguine Fini
- Pesto
- Freshly gated Parmigiano-Reggiano, for serving
Since we didn’t have Pesto readily available, that was the first thing to be made…
Ingredients and Method:
- 3 tablespoons Pine Nuts
- 2 cups fresh Basil Leaves
- 1 clove Garlic, peeled
- Pinch of Salt
- ½ cup Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
- ¼ cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
Over low heat in a dry saucepan, toast the garlic and pine nuts until they’re a nice golden brown.
Combine the pine nuts, basil, garlic, and salt in a large stone mortar and grind with the pestle until the mixture forms a paste. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil, beating all the while with a wooden spoon. Add the Parmigiano 1 tablespoon at a time, beating until the mixture forms a thick paste.
After your Pesto is made, its time to make the rest of the dish. Place the potatoes in a medium saucepan, add salted water to cover generously, and bring to a boil. Boil gently until the potatoes are tender; drain. Cut the potatoes in half, and set aside.
Meanwhile, cook the beans in a large saucepan of boiling salted wter until tender, 4 minutes. Have an ice bath ready. Drain the beans, plunge into the ice bath just to cool, and drain again. Set aside.
Bring 6 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot, and add 2 tablespoons salt. Cook the pasta until al dente; drain.
Pour the pasta into a warmed bowl, add the beans, potatoes, and pesto, and toss to coat the pasta and to warm the beans and potatoes; do not return to the heat. Serve with grated Parmigiano on the side.
This dish pairs really well with a Belgian Trippel style beer. We enjoyed a couple of Fat Tire Trippels with dinner, as well as a simple salad of romaine and pine nuts, and “bread snacks” - toasted baguettes with a drizzle of olive oil, salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper.
(Meg)
