Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Bucatini alla Lipari (Bucatini with Raw Nut Pesto)

Some like it spicy. This modified version of a Mark Bittman recipe that appeared in the pages of The New York Times years ago is easy to prepare with a food processor or blender. This dish from Lipari, the largest island in the archipelago just north of Sicily, has the spice factor that distinguishes southern Italian food from the grub farther north. 

While most versions call for canned whole tomatoes, this lighter recipe makes use of the current glut of cherry tomatoes. "Bucatini" comes from "buco," i.e. hole, as in the needle-thin hole that runs through the center of this noodle. Created in central Italy and popularized in Rome, bucatini has enough bite to stand up to thick sauces and bold flavors. (Pasta shapes should not be arbitrarily selected. It's all about finding the perfect balance of pasta and sauce in each bite.) See this Pasta Dictionary for a rundown of shapes and sauces. 

Bucatini alla Lipari

You will need to own or buy: 

  • 1/4 cup and 6 Tbsp. olive oil
  • 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • 1 pint cherry tomatoes (one green basket), sliced in half
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 cups mixed whole nuts (I used 1 cup pistachios, 1 cup walnuts but pine nuts, hazelnuts, and almonds work as well)
  • 2 tsp. hot red pepper flakes
  • 4-5 fresh mint leaves, plus more for garnish
  • 1 lb. bucatini
  • freshly grated parmesan

First, heat 1/4 cup olive oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook onion until translucent, about 10-12 minutes. Add 2 cloves chopped garlic and tomatoes and reduce heat to medium. Generously sprinkle with salt and a few grinds of fresh pepper.

In the meantime, prepare the pesto. Throw nuts, 6 Tbsp. olive oil, 2 cloves chopped garlic, hot red pepper flakes, and mint leaves into food processor or blender. Mix until well until combined. Sauce should be thick and pesto-y. 


Next, cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water. When bucatini is al dente, reserve 1 cup of cooking water and strain. Return pasta to pot. 


Add tomatoes and onion to pasta and stir to incorporate. Add pesto and stir well, using reserved cooking water to thin the sauce and combine.


Finish with generous layer of parmesan and a couple of mint leaves. 

4 comments:

  1. This looks delicious. One of my favorite pasta sauce recipes is a roasted tomato-almond pesto. Very similar to this one.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Yum! Whoever figured out the combination of pasta, tomatoes, and nuts is a genius.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Going to try this out soon! I love the nuts + pasta mix.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Try it! So good and easy. I bet you ate some good pasta in Florence :)

    ReplyDelete