Welcome to a culinary journey through Italy with a recipe from celebrity chef Jamie Oliver! Today we will cook something special – Rigatoni pasta with Sicilian pesto sauce. This dish is a true embodiment of Italian cuisine, where each ingredient plays its unique role, creating a harmony of flavors and aromas.
Enjoy the combination of tender pasta, aromatic pesto, spicy chili and delicate Parmesan cheese. This recipe will not only surprise you with its sophistication and ease of preparation, but will also turn your lunch or dinner into a real Italian feast.
Top it off with roasted vegetables or a glass of chilled Chardonnay.
The undeniable advantage of this recipe is that you can feed a large group of 6 very hungry or 8 not very hungry people with it. And even more if you add appetizers and salad.
Contents
⏱ Cooking time —20 minutes overall. Includes 15 minutes of preparation and cooking + 5 minutes unattended.
🔪 Ingredients
For 6-8 servings:
- 500 g (1 lb) rigatoni (can be replaced by another hollow pasta like penne)
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1-2 fresh red chilies
- 40 g (1 ⅖ oz) Parmesan cheese
- 100 g (3 ½ oz) blanched almonds (if you have peeled almonds, blanch according to these instructions)
- 4 anchovy fillets in oil
- 40 g (1 ⅖ oz) fresh basil
- 450 g (15 ⅞ oz) cherry tomatoes
🥣 Directions
👉 Jump to Short Version of RecipeCooking rigatoni. Preparing the pesto base
Pour the water into a saucepan, salt generously and place on the stove over a high heat.
When the water is boiling, add 500 g (1 lb) of rigatoni. Cook, following the instructions on the packet, for about 10 minutes.
Remove the tails, if any, from 450 g (15 ⅞ oz) of cherry tomatoes.
Take a tall glass beaker or a blender bowl. Grate 40 g (1 ⅖ oz) of parmesan cheese into it, using a fine grater
Cut off the tail of 1-2 fresh red chili peppers, tap the peppers with a knife and shake out the seeds, cut into 2-3 pieces and add to a glass.
Add 100 g (3 ½ oz) blanched almonds, 2 garlic cloves and 4 anchovy fillets.
Turn on the blender and chop the ingredients.
Finalizing the pesto sauce: adding the tomatoes and basil
Now add about ⅔ of the 450 g cherry tomatoes and almost all of the fresh basil leaves (leaving some for serving). Pour in a couple tbsp of olive oil and season with salt. Turn on the blender and chop until sauteed.
Taste for salt, and season to taste.
When the pasta is ready, save some of the water in which it was cooked, then drain the remaining water.
Assembling the dish. Serving
Return the pasta back to the pot. Add the sauce and stir. Evaluate the consistency; if desired, add a little of the reserved water and stir again.
Serve, garnished with cherry tomatoes cut into quarters or halves and basil leaves.
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Jamie Oliver’s Rigatoni Pasta with Sicilian Pesto Sauce (Pesto alla Trapanese)
Ingredients
- 500 g rigatoni (can be replaced by another hollow pasta like penne)
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1-2 fresh red chilies
- 40 g Parmesan cheese
- 100 g blanched almonds (if you have peeled almonds, blanch according to these instructions)
- 4 anchovy fillets in oil
- 40 g fresh basil
- 450 g cherry tomatoes
Instructions
- Boil salted water and boil the rigatoni according to the instructions on the package. In a blender, combine the grated Parmesan cheese, chili pepper, blanched almonds, garlic and anchovy fillets. Shred.
- Add ⅔ of all the cherry tomatoes and most of the fresh basil leaves to the blender, pour in the olive oil, and season with salt. Grind to a sauteed consistency. Save some of the water in which the pasta was cooked, drain the rest.
- Mix cooked pasta with sauce in a saucepan, add water from cooking for consistency if desired. Garnish the dish with the remaining tomatoes and basil before serving.
