Summer Recipe Series: Sardinian Pesto Pasta

If you like pasta and you like pesto this recipe is for you. If you don't like pasta and
you don't like pesto, this recipe is still for you! Make it for someone else!Trust me, they will thank you.Similar to other regions in Italy, Sardinia boasts its own unique gastronomy. Some of the unique dishes include Su Porcheddu (a popular roast suckling pig) and Pane Carasau ( a double baked, thin, crunchy bread). 

    Yet, I digress, back to the pasta! The first time I tried this pasta, I remember my sheer sense of awe observing my Italian "mom" effortlessly marry such simple ingredients, into this mouth watering dish. Each time I make this pasta, every bite transports me back to the same spot; The open concept Sardinian kitchen, doors wide open and rays of sun beaming in. 

If ticket prices are too high for an airplane ticket to Sardinia, preparing this pasta dish is a delicious alternative. Buon appetito!


Ingredients: for 4 people

Malloreddus or Penne pasta 8oz (or the whole box typically)

1 cup of cherry tomatoes sliced in half 

Tuna 10-11oz canned (optional)

1 small onion finely diced

Fresh black pepper to taste

1 cup chopped cauliflower

1/2 cup white wine

1 glass of red wine

Pesto: 3 handfuls of fresh basil leaves, 1/4 cup pine nuts,

1/2 cup Parmigiano Reggiano, 4 peeled garlic cloves,

Pink Himalayan sea salt to taste, 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil.

1. Cook pasta according to package directions and drain. 

2. In a separate skillet, heat 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil on medium heat. 

3. Add the onion and sauté until caramelized. Add sliced cherry tomatoes

and cauliflower and lightly sauté.

4. Add white wine to the skillet, stirring moderately for about 30 seconds

to evaporate the alcohol. Reduce heat to low.

5. In a small blender, combine pesto ingredients and blend until smooth. 

6. Add the drained pasta, pesto mixture and tuna (optional) to the skillet and

stir to combine on low heat for 1 minute. 

7. Add Himalayan pink salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. 

You're probably wondering, what was I supposed to do with the glass of red wine?
Why drink it of course! And while you're at it, light a candle and play some traditional
Sardinian Cantu a Tenore (an acapella, quartet style, vocal harmonization's native toSardinia) and you'll be there in no time!



Enjoy!