I love this Sicilian pesto made with almonds and ripe tomatoes. I prefer greenhouse cherry tomatoes if making this recipe in winter—but if you have access to tomatoes in season, it's even better! Garnish merguez sausages and fresh tomatoes—so good.
Servings : 4
Preparation : 15 minutes
Cooking time : 20 minutes
Ingredients :
- 1/2 cup whole roasted almonds, skinless
- 4 cloves of garlic
- 1 cup grated Pecorino Romano
- 1 cup fresh basil leaves, firmly packed
- 8 mint leaves (optional)
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 pound (450 g) red cherry tomatoes or red grape tomatoes
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- Ground pepper, to taste
- 1 pound (450 g) long pasta, linguine or other
- 3 merguez sausages, meat removed from the casings
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 5-6 cherry tomatoes, quartered, to serve
Preparation :
- Add the almonds, garlic, pecorino, basil, and mint to a food processor. Blend until crumbly. With the food processor running, slowly add the oil until a paste-like texture is achieved. Add the tomatoes and blend again until well incorporated. Season and set aside.
- Cook the merguez sausage meat in a large skillet over medium-high heat with 1 tablespoon of olive oil for about 3 to 5 minutes. You want each piece to caramelize nicely. Set aside.
- Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta until al dente , about 10 minutes.
- Add about 1/3 cup of pasta cooking water to a large bowl and stir in the pesto until well combined. Stir in the still-hot pasta. Adjust with more cooking water if needed.
- Serve on a plate and sprinkle with more sauce, sausage pieces, and fresh tomatoes. So good.