SUMMERTIME...AND THE LIVIN' IS EASY

RECIPE: TRENETTE AL PESTO: The King of Pestos with Pasta, Broccoli, and Potatoes (Lynne Rossetto Kasper, May 27, 2003, The Splendid Table)

Serves 6 to 8 as a first course, 3 to 4 as a main dish

1 large clove garlic, any green center removed
1/8 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
2/3 tightly packed cup fresh young basil leaves
2 heaping tablespoons pine nuts
1/4 cup grated Fiore Sardo sheep cheese or domestic Fontinella
Scant 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
6 to 8 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (Ligurian preferred: Roi, Ardoino,
or Rainieri brand)
1 medium red-skinned potato, peeled and thinly sliced
6 quarts boiling salted water
3/4 pound trenette, linguine, or spaghetti
1-1/2 cups broccoli flowerettes
Freshly ground black pepper

1. In a mortar and pestle, crush the garlic with the salt. Gradually add the basil and then the pine nuts, crushing everything into a rough paste. Add the cheeses and then finally enough oil to bring the pesto to the consistency of heavy cream. Turn it into a pasta bowl.

2. Drop the potato into the boiling water and boil 5 minutes. Add the pasta and broccoli and cook until the pasta is tender but still firm to the bite. Take out 1/3 cup pasta water and stir it into the pesto. Drain the pasta in a colander and immediately toss it with the pesto. Taste for seasoning and serve hot.

Posted by Orrin Judd at May 27, 2003 5:51 PM