Pesto Pasta, Beans, Potatoes-trattoria Ligagin, Genoa, Italy

Total Time: 30 mins Preparation Time: 30 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 4
• 1/3 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoons pine nuts
• 2 garlic cloves
• 6 1/2 ounces fresh basil, stemmed
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 3 medium red potatoes, peeled, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch thick slices
• 6 ounces thin green beans, trimmed (or 12 oz. fresh fava beans, shelled and halved)
• 14 ounces gemelli pasta (or trenette, fettucine or linguine) or 14 ounces fusilli (or trenette, fettucine or linguine)
• 1 tablespoon butter

Recipe

• 1 finely grind cheese, nut and garlic in processor. add basil and puree. drizzle oil, processing until well blended. season pesto with salt and pepper. (can be prepared 2 days ahead. press plastic wrap onto surface and refrigerate.).
• 2 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 or fava beans to same pot and boil until tender, about 3 minutes. using slotted spoon, transfer beans to bowl with potatoes.
• 3 cook pasta in same pot until tender but still firm to bite. drain, reserving 1/3 cup liquid. add pasta to potatoes and beans.
• 4 whisk enough reserved liquid into pesto to moisten. add pesto and butter to pasta. toss to coat and serve.