Summer Fusilli with Lemon Pesto, a fresh and fragrant summer main course. Very simple to make because apart from the pasta, we have no other cooking. Therefore, it is a very easy and quick dish to prepare, so much so that we can even make the pesto while the boiled pasta is cooling in the refrigerator. I prefer to make it a few hours in advance, or even the day before to put it in the pasta as cold as possible, but this way you risk having to make it again. Yes, indeed, it often ends up immediately on slices of toasted bread because it’s really irresistible.
If you like cold dishes, especially during the warmer periods of the year, then don’t miss the following recipes:
- Rest time: 2 Hours
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 6 people
- Cooking methods: Boiling
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Summer, All seasons
Ingredients
- 10.5 oz fusilli
- to taste lemon pesto
- 5.3 oz taggiasca olives
- 2 sprigs fresh basil
- 3 tbsps extra virgin olive oil
- to taste pine nuts for garnish
- to taste pepper
Tools
- 1 Pot
- 1 Bowl
Preparation
The first thing we need to do to ensure the recipe’s result is excellent is to put some water in a bowl and place it in the freezer at least twenty minutes before cooking the pasta.
As soon as the water starts to boil, drop the fusilli in and let them cook for just a few minutes. Checking the cooking times on the pasta package, adjust by subtracting about 3 minutes, because this way we will drain it very al dente.
Once the necessary time has passed, drain the pasta with a slotted spoon and toss it into the bowl with the now icy water. Once cooled, place it in a colander to ensure it loses all the water. Then put it in a bowl along with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil (to prevent the fusilli from sticking) and mix.
At this point, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it cool further in the refrigerator for at least an hour.
If we haven’t prepared the Lemon Pesto beforehand, we can do it now, as the pasta is cooling in the refrigerator.
Now add the pesto to the fusilli, sprinkle them with freshly ground black pepper if possible, add both the olives and the basil leaves broken by hand and mix all the ingredients. Place back in the refrigerator for at least another hour because the pasta should be well chilled.
Serve our Summer Fusilli with Lemon Pesto, arranging them on a serving plate or tray, but not before decorating them with basil leaves, pine nuts, lemon zest, black pepper, and another drizzle of extra virgin olive oil if necessary.
Tips and Storage
You can store the lemon pesto fusilli in the refrigerator for about two days, but place them inside a container, preferably glass or ceramic, with an airtight seal.
You can also freeze them, but from my experience, I can tell you that at that point, it’s better to cook them.
I toss them in a pan, add well-drained provolone or mozzarella, and sauté them until the cheese becomes stringy and the fusilli golden.
At this point, we are faced with a transformation of the original recipe into another one, but still very tasty.
