Trofie al Pesto

Trofie al pesto tossed in pesto and garnished with parmesan cheese.

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5 from 5 votes

Cinque de Terre's Ligurian Trofie al Pesto is a delicious crescent shaped pasta tossed with an easy basil pesto sauce.

Prep Time1 10

Cook Time10

Total Time1 20

Course: Mains, Sides

Cuisine: Italian

Diet: Vegetarian

Servings: bowls

Calories: 791kcal

Author: HWC Magazine

Equipment

food processor or high powered blender

Ingredients

Trophie Pasta

3 cups all-purpose flour
or 00 Flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup cold water

Homemade Basil Pesto

2 cups basil leaves
fresh
¼ cup pine nuts
toasted
2 cloves garlic
peeled
½ cup Parmesan cheese
grated
½ cup olive oil
4 tablespoons butter
melted (yes! butter in the Pesto that is the Ligurian way and their special secret for deliciousness)
Salt to taste
½ ladle Pasta water for thinning the sauce
Extra butter for frying up and the finishing touches to the Ligurian Trofie al Pesto (We did not say this dish was low calorie but it is amazingly delicious)
Parmesan cheese Garnishes (optional)
basil fresh garnish - optional

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Homemade Trofie Pasta

In a large bowl mix flour with the salt.
Make well and add the water in the well and mix slowly with a fork.
When the dough mixture is pulled together start mixing the dough with your hands until well incorporated. Check the dough for consistency as it should feel slightly tacky but your finger should come back clean when you push it in the dough. Add more flour if too wet and if too dry start to knead dough and see if the natural moisture from your hands will convert the dough and if not can add a little drop of water.
Place a little dusting of flour on your wooden board and knead the dough for at least 8-10 minutes or until the dough is very smooth. Nice and easy kneading and turn your dough with each press. This is a very important step in the process to activate the glutens in the dough and give your pasta that very delicious texture.
Form your dough into a ball or disk shape and dust flour on top and bottom of dough and wrap tightly with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for at least one hour or even overnight.
Form the Trofie Pasta: Sprinkle your work surface and your plates that you will be placing your formed Trofie pasta on with flour. Pat or roll the dough to about ¾ inch thick.
Cut dough into approximately ½ inch slices with a knife or pastry cutter. Roll the dough slices into a rope about ¼ inch in diameter with your hands. (Make sure that your cover the remaining dough back up with plastic wrap so it does not dry out.) Repeat this process with the remaining slices of pasta dough.
Now cut the rope horizontally into little sections about ¼ inch in size or even smaller if you can. We made ours about the size of a pencil eraser or just slightly larger.
Take one piece of cut dough into the palm of your hand and roll in one direction from bottom of palm up to the top of your fingers. Now you should have created this adorable little crescent pasta shape. Repeat this process until you have made enough Trofie pasta to feed enough for your family/friends. Place your completed little Trofie crescents shapes on the well floured plates.

Make Basil Pesto

Place fresh basil, toasted pine nuts, garlic, parmesan cheese in blender or food processor and blend. Slowly add the oil in and continue to blend.
Add the butter a little at a time to the food processor and keep blending until creamy and smooth. Taste and season with salt as required.

Cooking Trofie Pasta

In a large pot bring at least 4 quarts of water to boil. Salt well as this gives flavor to the pasta.
Once the water is at full boil, slowly add about ¼ -½ of the homemade pasta at a time to the water. Depending how large you rolled your pasta it will take between 1-3 minutes to cook your pasta until a firm aldente. Your pasta will float up to the top and you will know that is nearly cooked. Just simply test a pasta to confirm if al dente.
Remove and drain pasta from water and set aside. Repeat with second batch of pasta. (I did it in separate batches as it is easier to manage this way and it does not drop the temperature of your water so much doing small batches at a time.)

Final Assembly

In a large frying pan, place a large knob of butter and add your cooked Trofie pasta. Next add about ½ to ¾ of your delicious Ligurian Pesto, ½ ladle of your pasta water and delicately stir until well incorporated.
Place your delicious Trofie al Pesto in bowls and garnish with a grating of fresh Parmesan Reggiano and a sprig of fresh basil. Drizzle with a little EVOO oil and Enjoy!

Video

Notes

Helpful Hints for Making Homemade Trofie al Pesto

Make sure you salt your pasta water well.
When you noodles float up to the top of the pot, it is a sign they are close to being cooked.
Recruit help in hand rolling your trofie pasta if you want to eat sooner. (Kids love helping out, adults are even more productive if you hand them a glass of wine to help with their creativity)
Try your trofie al pesto with a roasted red pepper pesto, spinach pesto or even a walnut pesto- super delicious.
Thin the Basil pesto sauce with a little reserved pasta water.
Sometimes this recipe is made with the addition of green beans and/ or sliced potatoes. Both are an a delicious addition.
You can also make your trofie pasta in advance and let it dry. However, you will need to increase your cooking time. Fresh is always best.

How do you keep basil pesto from turning brown?

There are several different hacks to keep your basil pesto bright green in color.

Blanch the fresh basil leaves for 3 seconds and then plunge into an iced cold bath. Wring to remove water and proceed with pesto recipe.
Freeze the blades of the blender or food processor. This keeps the basil from getting warm and thus reduces the oxidation.
Lastly, avoid over processing the basil leaves. Only blend the pesto for short bursts to prevent the motor on the food processor from getting warm. We have better luck keeping our pesto bright green with our high-speed blender.
Add a layer of extra virgin olive oil on top of the fresh basil pesto to prevent the basil leaves from oxidizing.
Refrigerate the pesto promptly after blending if you are not going to use it right away.

Storage and Reheating

Leftovers can be stored in a covered container in the refrigerator for up 3 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months. Reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave until warm and toasty.

Gluten Free Option

Substitute 00 flour or semolina wheat flour with a gluten free artisan blend flour. Many of these are cup to cup. For example, the Better Batter brand of artisan flour blend contains Rice flour, brown rice flour, tapioca starch, potato starch, potato flour and xanthan gum.

Vegan Option

If you want to make your pasta vegan, just do not add parmesan cheese or butter. Instead, swap out EVOO or plant-based butter for regular butter. Add a few more pine nuts, salt and pepper or exchange with nutritional yeast to give it that flavor profile you desire. The flavor profile is changed but if you are lactose intolerant- you must do what you need to do.

Nutrition