Trenette With Pesto Potatoes And Green Beans Recipes

GEMELLI WITH PESTO, POTATOES AND GREEN BEANS

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook as the label directs; add the beans during the last 2 minutes of cooking. Reserve 3/4 cup cooking water, then drain. Set the pot aside.
• Meanwhile, pierce the potatoes all over with a fork. Microwave until tender, about 5 minutes. Let cool slightly, then chop.
• Heat the olive oil in the reserved pot over medium-high heat. Add the potatoes, season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add the pasta and green beans and stir to coat. Remove from the heat and add the pesto, lemon zest and 1/4 cup reserved cooking water; toss to coat, adding more cooking water as needed to loosen. Season with salt and pepper.

PASTA, GREEN BEANS AND POTATOES WITH PESTO

Steps:

• Make pesto: In the bowl of food processor, add basil, pine nuts, salt and garlic. Pulse until mixture is coarse and grainy. With the motor running, add oil in slow, steady stream. Add cheese; process just enough to mix well. If sauce is too dry, add a little more oil. Taste; add more cheese or salt, if desired.
• Bring 6 quarts water to rolling boil. Add at least 2 tablespoons salt and the potato slices. Cook for about 5 minutes, or until potatoes have started to soften but are not cooked through. Add green beans, and continue boiling another 5 minutes.
• Add pasta, and stir. Start testing pasta at 5 minutes. When it is done, and when potatoes and beans are tender, drain and turn pasta and vegetables immediately into preheated bowl. Add pesto, and mix thoroughly. Serve immediately.

TRENETTE AL PESTO

Steps:

• Put 1/2 cup of olive oil, pine nuts, garlic and a nice pinch of salt in a food processor or blender, start mixing and add the basil a few leaves at a time processing to a creamy consistency.
• Stir in the cheese by hand, mixing well. I find this achieves a much better consistency than if you blend the cheese in using the food processor or blender.
• Bring a large pot of liberally salted water to a boil. Add the trenette and cook until al dente.
• Meanwhile, in a large sauté pan add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and the pesto, turn heat on low and heat through.
• Reserve 1/4 cup of water from the pot then drain pasta and add to sauté pan with pesto, and turn the heat up to medium. Add the reserved pasta water and stir vigorously, coating the pasta completely with the sauce.
• Transfer the pasta to individual serving plates and serve immediately.

TRENETTE WITH PESTO, POTATOES AND GREEN BEANS

Steps:

• Finely grind basil, oil, 6 tablespoons each Romano and Parmesan cheeses, toasted pine nuts and minced garlic in processor. Season pesto to taste with salt and pepper. (Pesto can be prepared 2 days ahead. Press plastic wrap onto surface of pesto and refrigerate.)
• Cook potatoes in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender, about 5 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer potatoes to large bowl. Add green beans to same pot and cook until crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer to bowl with potatoes. Cook pasta in same pot until tender but still firm to bite. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup cooking liquid. Transfer pasta to bowl with potatoes and green beans.
• Whisk reserved 1/2 cup cooking liquid into pesto. Add pesto to pasta mixture and toss thoroughly to coat. Transfer pasta to large platter. Serve, passing additional Pecorino Romano separately.