Portofino pasta was born by chance when a Ligurian chef decided to stretch his Genoese pesto with a simple tomato sauce.
That’s right — a recipe much appreciated in Portofino and beyond was born, even skeptical lovers of pure, authentic Genoese pesto tried this pasta and really liked it.
With few simple ingredients and then short pasta — whether trofie or spaghetti — it turns into a very tasty first course.
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very affordable
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Cooking time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 4 servings
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
- 11 oz short pasta (or spaghetti)
- 1/2 cup Genoese pesto
- 1 clove Garlic
- 7 oz Peeled tomatoes (about 3/4 cup)
- to taste Basil (fresh)
- 2 pinches Salt (about 1/4 tsp)
- 3 tbsp Extra virgin olive oil
Preparation — Portofino Pasta
To prepare Portofino pasta, first bring enough lightly salted water to a boil to cook the pasta.
Meanwhile, prepare a simple tomato sauce by heating the extra virgin olive oil in a pan and adding the whole crushed garlic clove.
Then add the peeled tomatoes, slightly crushed with the back of a spoon, loosen with a very small amount of water, season with salt and cook the sauce for 15 minutes, taking care that it does not dry out too much.
When done, season with a few basil leaves torn by hand.
At this point the water will be boiling, so add the pasta and cook it until al dente.
You can prepare the Genoese pesto in advance; if you wish you can follow my recipe which you can find HERE. Once the tomato sauce has cooled slightly, put it into a bowl and add the Genoese pesto. The right ratio for a successful dish is 6 parts tomato sauce to 4 parts Genoese pesto.
Drain the pasta, reserving a few tablespoons of the cooking water, add it to the sauce, toss quickly and add a few tablespoons of the cooking water to help everything come together well.
Serve the Portofino pasta piping hot and… ENJOY YOUR MEAL
Annatorte recommends
Portofino pasta should be eaten as soon as it’s made since Genoese pesto should never, ever be reheated.
HERE and also HERE you can find OTHER PASTA recipes.
If you want to see more recipes RETURN TO HOME
