Testaieu with pesto is a traditional Ligurian pasta dish, which many of you might know as testaroli from La Spezia or panigacci from Lunigiana.
Testaieu is a simple and ancient dish, made only with flour and water, then seasoned with pesto as in this case, or with oil and Parmesan, or with mushroom sauce. I am very fond of this dish because I always used to make it for my cousin when I was little.
The differences between testaieu, testaroli, and panigacci lie in the shape, size, and cooking method. Testaieu is cooked in a pan and is small, testaroli is also cooked in a pan but is much larger and then cut into diamond shapes and boiled again, whereas panigacci are baked in earthenware dishes.
If you are curious to taste the classic Genoese testaieu, read the recipe below!
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 4
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
- 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 2/3 cups water
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- as needed Genoese pesto
- as needed Grana Padano PDO (grated)
Steps
In a bowl, add the flour with a pinch of salt and the oil. Gradually add the water while continuing to stir with a hand whisk until you obtain a smooth and homogeneous mixture.
Heat a pan on the stovetop; when it is hot, grease the base with a little oil and add a ladleful of the mixture.
Cook the testaieu for about 2 minutes, then flip it with a spatula and finish cooking for another two minutes on the second side.
Continue cooking all the remaining testaieu until the batter is used up.
Season the testaieu with Genoese pesto and sprinkle with grated Grana Padano.
Serve hot.
STORAGE
I recommend preparing and consuming the testaieu right away. If desired, you can prepare them the day before for the following day.
You can serve the testaieu with just oil and cheese, with a meat sauce, with mushroom sauce, or even with hazelnut cream.
