Trapanese Pesto is a typical condiment from western Sicily, a version of the more famous Genovese pesto. It is a quick and easy recipe, ideal for dressing pasta in just a few minutes during summer days. It is a dish strongly linked to the land and its people. Symbol of an area among the most beautiful in the world with mills, salt pans, tower or ports.
It is a raw and tasty sauce, pounded with a mortar, whose main ingredients are: oil, basil, tomato, almonds, pecorino cheese and garlic. Tomatoes are blanched in boiling water, peeled and blended with fresh basil, almonds, grated pecorino cheese, garlic and extra virgin olive oil. The result is a sauce with an intense aroma.
Origins of trapanese pesto
It seems that Trapanese pesto was first made by Ligurian sailors who, landed in Trapani, had to make it with local ingredients. They brought the tradition of the Ligurian garlic and walnut “agliata”, which was by the Trapani sailors elaborated with the products of their land (tomatoes and almonds).
The original recipe was created to dress busiate, the typical pasta of Trapani, with shrimp or with cherry tomatoes and eggplant. it can be used to make a pasta salad, but also to stuff bruschetta to serve at aperitif time or as an appetizer. For a stronger taste, you can enrich the pesto with two fillets of anchovies in oil: in this case, however, add less pecorino cheese.
For a perfect realization you should use Paceco tomatoes and sicilian almonds, which the whole world envies us. Paceco tomatoes are small, sweet, and similar to cherry tomatoes.
It is a homemade preparation that can keep a few days in the fridge by covering with olive oil. At one time it was only a homemade product, today some food companies market it.
If you want to prepare it at home, find out how to make Trapanese pesto by following our recipe and tips.
