Busiate alla trapanese: the recipe for the typically fragrant and tasty Sicilian dish

How to prepare busy Trapani dish

Step 1

For the pasta: Collect the flour in a bowl and pour in the water1, then start kneading the dough.

step 2

Once it has taken shape, place it on a work surface and continue kneading until you have a smooth and soft dough.2.

step 3

Remove walnut-sized pieces from the dough and roll them out into thin sausages.3.

Step 4

Tear off pieces about 6 cm long4.

Step 5

Now roll it diagonally on the stick until you get the characteristic spiral shape5. Let the paste dry on a sieve or tea towel for at least 30 minutes.

Step 6

In the meantime, prepare the pesto: wash the cherry tomatoes, cut the base crosswise and blanch them in boiling water for a few minutes6.

Step 7

Drain the cherry tomatoes, let them cool and remove the skin with a knife7.

Step 8

Gather the cherry tomatoes in a container and add the pecorino, almonds, basil, garlic and a pinch of salt; pour in the oil8and start blending until you get a creamy and smooth pesto.

Step 9

Cook the pasta in boiling salted water, then drain when al dente and season with the pesto. Arrange, sprinkle with a little pecorino cheese and serve.

Advice
Among the most famous pesto sauces, pesto is the condiment of choice for busiate, a typical Sicilian pasta with a characteristic spiral shape, and together they bring to life an ancient recipe: pasta cu l’agghia pistata (in the Trapani dialect, pasta with crushed garlic).

For Trapani-style pesto you can use Datterino or Pizzutelli cherry tomatoes: firm, compact and very sweet, they give this condiment a truly explosive flavor. You can prepare it in a mortar and pestle or, for a faster and more practical option, also with a food processor or a hand blender.

If you don’t like the taste of garlic or can’t digest it, you can leave it out when preparing Trapani-style pesto. Those who like it can finish the dish with grated pecorino, a few basil leaves and freshly ground pepper .

Trapanese pesto is ideal for seasoning busiate or any other type of pasta in amiata, but is also excellent spread on toasted bread slices for a tasty aperitif.

storage
Once prepared, the Trapanese pesto can be transferred to a glass jar, drizzled with another drizzle of oil and stored in the fridge for at least 4-5 days . Alternatively, you can pour it into paper cups (or smaller jars) and freeze it in the freezer : this way you will always have individual portions of a good homemade pesto available. All you have to do is take it out of the freezer a few hours beforehand, cook the pasta and lunch is ready in no time.