Sicilian classic: Paccheri with pistacchio pesto

DIFFICULTY	TIME	SERVES	COST
Easy	15 min	4 Serves	Low

Rating

Paccheri is a type of pasta that goes very well with pestos. An excellent cuisine tip is that cavati with pistachio pesto gives rise to a fabulous first course. What is more, it is easily prepared in just a few minutes and it´s very creamy and super tasty!

Let’s find out how to prepare this typical Sicilian dish

Ingredients	Quantity
Paccheri	400 g
Pistachio pesto	220 g
Garlic	1 clove
Mussels or Speck or smoked bacon	150 g
Extra Virgin Olive Oil	To taste
Salt	To taste

Preparation method

Cook pasta for 10-12 minutes
In a pan, brown 1 clove of garlic with a drizzle of olive oil
Sauté the mussels or brown the smoked bacon or speck cut into cubes, for 1 minute
Drain the pasta al dente directly into to the pan and mix with the speck or smoked bacon adding a few ladles of cooking broth until a creamy consistency is obtained
Add the pistachio pesto, mix and serve

To prepare the paccheri with pistachio pesto, first put a pot full of water on the stovetop and bring it to a boil. This water will be used for cooking the pasta.

In the meantime, prepare a light sauté that will enhance the flavors of Nasonte’s pistachio pesto: put a pan on the heat, peel a clove of garlic and lightly mash it with your hands. Cut the speck or smoked bacon into cubes. Pour a drizzle of Vardaro extra virgin olive oil into the pan, add the garlic and the speck or smoked bacon cubes. Brown them for 1 minute. Then, incorporate the ready-to-use pistachio pesto and let it warm up slightly.

When the water for cooking paccheri comes to a boil, add salt according to taste and then add the pasta. Stir occasionally and, after about 10 minutes, the pasta will be “al dente”.

Drain the paccheri well and add them to the previously prepared dressing.

Mix well over medium heat and and add a few ladles of cooking broth until a creamy consistency is obtained. Serve hot.

Buon appetito!