I usually don’t have to work on Saturdays, so it’s a day in which I typically like to do some serious cooking. It could not be more different from how I approach cooking on weekdays. During the week I’ll think about some recipes that I would like to enjoy over the weekend, I then go and buy the ingredients I need and I plan everything. That’s exactly what happened this Saturday with these rigatoni with sun-dried tomato pesto.
If you’ve been following my blog or my Instagram account, you probably know that I am a big fan of pesto. At home, in fact, they call me “pesto queen”, and not only because I make it frequently, but also because I am absolutely passionate about it. From the classic genovese pesto or the Sicilian, to two of my favorites, the caper pesto and the one I’m publishing now.
Although this dish does not have many ingredients, believe me, it is absolutely delicious. It is tasty and you simply can’t have enough of it. The key to obtaining a mouth-watering pesto, however, is using ingredients of the highest quality, so I suggest you don’t substitute the products in this recipe. This includes the pasta brand I have used, Dececco.
This brand is from Abruzzo and we always buy it because of its high-quality durum wheat. Gadis Supermercados has only recently started offering this very famous Italian brand and we are delighted. Now, here are the ingredients and how to prepare this recipe. I hope you like it and enjoy it, with friends or family.
INGREDIENTS
200 gr (4 cups) sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil
160 gr (1 ½ cups) rigatoni Dececco
100 gr (1 cup) Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
80 gr (⅔ cup) raw hazelnuts
30 basil leaves
10 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove
METHOD
We are going to prepare the pesto first. Use the chopper to grind the hazelnuts first. Set aside. Drain the tomatoes in a colander and remove the excess of oil with kitchen paper. Add them to the chopper with the basil, the Parmigiano, the garlic clove and the olive oil. We’re not adding salt since these ingredients are already salty. Crush them well until obtaining the pesto. Set aside.
In a medium pot with just a pinch of salt, boil the pasta al dente (see instructions of your package). When the pasta is ready, keep about 1 ½ cups of the cooking water. Turn off the heat, drain the pasta and return it to the pot. Add the cooking water and toss it with the pesto. Mix well and serve.
Buon appetito!
You can store this pesto in a jar for about 3-4 days.
