Ricette di Sicilia
Cibo, cultura e tradizioni siciliane
Busiate with Trapanese Pesto — A Sunshine Taste of Western Sicily
A fresh, summery Sicilian pasta dish made with sweet tomatoes, toasted almonds and fragrant basil — the traditional Trapanese pesto at its finest.
🛒 Ingredients
- ✓ 400 g busiate pasta
- ✓ 1 kg ripe tomatoes
- ✓ 4 cloves red Nubia garlic
- ✓ 100 g toasted, peeled almonds
- ✓ 1 large bunch of basil
- ✓ 50 g grated Sicilian pecorino
- ✓ extra-virgin olive oil
- ✓ salt
- ✓ freshly ground black pepper
📊 Nutritional Information
Busiate with Trapanese pesto is one of those dishes that encapsulates an entire region in a single forkful. Born in the sun-soaked city of Trapani, where tomatoes, basil and almonds grow in abundance, this fresh pesto is still prepared today using the traditional marble mortar.
Known locally as pasta cull’agghia — literally “garlic pasta” — it’s a celebration of bold Mediterranean flavours. The sweetness of ripe tomatoes, the perfume of basil and the crunch of toasted almonds all come together in a sauce that feels both rustic and utterly irresistible.
Perfect for a warm summer evening with a glass of Sicilian wine, this recipe invites you to slow down, share the meal and savour the generosity of Sicilian cooking.
👨🍳 Preparation
- 1
Wash the tomatoes and blanch them in boiling water for 5 minutes. Peel, deseed and chop them.
- 2
In a mortar, crush the almonds with a pinch of salt until coarse and sandy. Transfer to a bowl.
- 3
Crush the garlic and basil with another pinch of salt until smooth and fragrant.
- 4
Add the basil–garlic paste to the almonds and fold in the tomatoes, gently crushed with a fork.
- 5
Pour in a generous glass of extra-virgin olive oil, season with salt and pepper, mix well and let the pesto rest for a couple of hours.
- 6
Cook the busiate in plenty of salted water, drain al dente and toss with the pesto.
- 7
Serve with a generous sprinkle of pecorino.
💡 Tips and Variations
For a deeper flavour, let the pesto rest for at least two hours before tossing with the pasta. If you'd like a milder garlic taste, simply reduce the number of cloves.
📦 Storage
- • Store in the fridge for up to 2 days.
- • You can freeze the pesto (without the cheese) for 1 month.
- • Reheat gently in a pan over low heat before serving.
🍷 Pairing
Enjoy this pasta with a glass of Cerasuolo di Vittoria — its rounded, fruity notes pair beautifully with the freshness of the pesto.
Thanks for diving into the flavours of Sicily with these busiate and their vibrant Trapanese pesto. I hope this summery dish inspires you to explore more regional treasures and share them with the people you love. Buon appetito!
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