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Pasta Salad with Basil Pesto

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Making the pesto and tossing it with the hot pasta and coating with Parmesan cheese is so simple and so satisfying. What a nosebath you take as the pasta and basil find each other in the bowl. The salty note and body the Parmesan offers complete the picture. While I prefer to eat this warm and freshly tossed together, it is also delicious cold. This recipe makes about 3 cups pesto which is largely enough to coat the pasta. Use a little of the pasta cooking water, if needed, to loosen the sauce.

Ingredients

3 cups basil leaves

2 medium cloves garlic, grated

Kosher salt

1cup olive oil

1 cup Parmesan cheese, finely grated

1 pound Fussili pasta, preferably De Cecco brand, if
available

1/2lb baby potatoes, boiled and cut in half (optional)

1/4lb haricot vert, blanched (optional)

Instructions

  1. Make the pesto: In the bowl of the food processor, pulse to blend the basil with the garlic and a generous pinch of salt. Slowly stream in the olive oil through the top with the machine, pulsing to combine but not over mix. Transfer to a large bowl and stir in the Parmesan cheese. Taste for seasoning.
  2. Cook the pasta: In a large pot, bring 6 quarts of water to a rolling boil. Add a generous amount of salt. The pasta water should taste like seawater. Add the pasta to the pot and stir so it doesn’t stick to the bottom as it cooks. Cook the pasta until “al dente”, chewy but not hard or raw tasting, 8-10 minutes, and drain the pasta in a colander until the sauce is finished. Reserve a little of the pasta cooking liquid in case you need it later.
  3. Finish the salad: Drain any excess liquid from the pasta and toss with the pesto. Stir in the Parmesan cheese. Do not over mix. Taste for seasoning.

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