Spaghettoni with pesto

A savory first course and a tribute to Liguria: there are many ways to make pesto, and we chose to follow Lucia Carniel's advice for doing it.

Ingredients for 4 people

- 50 gr fresh, dry basil leaves

- 2 small garlic cloves (if you like)

- 100 ml extra virgin olive oil (Ligurian PDO)

- 70 gr of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese

- 30 gr of Pecorino cheese (Sardinian fiore quality)

- 15 gr pine nuts (1 tablespoon)

- 1 pinch of salt

RECIPE

Mash the perfectly dry basil in a mortar with the peeled garlic and a pinch of coarse salt until smooth. Add the pine nuts and continue pounding until the mixture is reduced to a cream. When the mixture is well blended add the cheeses alternating with the oil and continuing to pound. The final mixture should have the typical grainy, creamy consistency.

Bring the water to a boil, salt and cook the spaghettoni (if you prefer, use linguine or typical trofie pasta). Drain the pasta and season immediately with your pesto, stirring carefully to mix.

Serve the pasta adding a couple of basil leaves and enjoy with a chilled glass of Prosecco Superiore DOCG Rive di S. Stefano.