Bavette with pesto

Name: Bavette with pesto
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: italian
Ingredients: 340 g linguine pasta; 0.5 piece garlic; 1 pinch coarse salt; 120 ml extra virgin olive oil; 40 g basil; 25 g pecorino cheese; 15 g pine nuts; 65 g parmigiano reggiano cheese; to taste basil

Classic Ligurian pasta featuring al dente bavette coated in vibrant basil pesto made with mortar and pestle. The raw sauce combines fresh basil, garlic, pine nuts, and aged cheeses for an intensely aromatic and creamy coating.

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Nonna Maria's Tips

Bavette with pesto is al dente flat pasta enveloped in a fresh, raw Ligurian basil sauce that balances garlic, pine nuts and aged cheeses.

Increase fresh basil to roughly 40 g (about 2 small bunches) per 0.75 lb pasta and slightly raise pine nuts so the pesto is intensely aromatic and creamy as in Ligurian recipes.
Use a mix of Parmigiano Reggiano and a smaller amount of pecorino, both freshly grated, maintaining pecorino as a sharp accent rather than the dominant cheese.

Avoid

⚠
Cooking pesto in the pan with the pasta over high heat, which darkens the basil and alters the fresh flavor
⚠
Using generic long pasta shapes that do not hold the sauce well when bavette or similar are available

Ingredients

0/9 gathered

Serves 4

12 oz linguine pasta

½ piece garlic

1 pinch coarse salt

8 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 oz basil

0.9 oz pecorino cheese

½ oz pine nuts

2 oz parmigiano reggiano cheese

basil

Preparation

0/6 steps

Pick 40g basil leaves and clean gently with a soft cloth or rinse delicately in cold water. Place ½ peeled garlic clove in mortar with a few grains of coarse salt. Grind until creamy (about 2-3 minutes).

Add basil leaves with a pinch of salt. Crush leaves against mortar sides using circular grinding motion - roll pestle left while rotating mortar right. Continue until bright green liquid forms (4-5 minutes).

Add 15g pine nuts and crush to cream. Gradually incorporate 65g Parmigiano and 25g Pecorino, then slowly drizzle in 120ml olive oil while stirring constantly.

Mix until smooth and homogeneous. Boil 340g linguine in abundant salted water until al dente (8-10 minutes). Transfer pesto to large pan off heat and add 2-3 tablespoons pasta water.

Stir pesto and pasta water with spatula. Add drained pasta directly to the pesto.

Toss pasta thoroughly to coat evenly. Serve immediately garnished with fresh basil leaves.