Sicilian Pasta with Tomatoes, Garlic and Almonds

Nigella Comments

I have come across more than one version of “pesto Trapanese”, the Sicilian pasta sauce from Trapani that differs from the more popularly known Genoese variety in a number of ways. Chief of these is that almonds, not pine nuts, are ground into the mix a divergence whose origins (in common with a lot of Sicilian food) owe much to Arabic cooking.

Throughout Italy, eaters do not grate Parmesan over pasta sauces that contain fish (or are very garlicky), so you should consider cheese here doubly ill-advised, unless you wish to substitute 4 tablespoons grated pecorino for anchovies.

I like the use fusilli lunghi, which are like long golden ringlets, but if you can’t find them, simply substitute regulation-size fusilli (or indeed any pasta of your choice)

Since the sauce is unheated, it would be wise to warm the serving bowl first but, having said that, I absolutely adore eating this Sicilian pasta cold, should any be left over. It is so easy to make, and, being both simple and spectacular, is first on my list for a pasta dish to serve when you have people round.

My Comments

I found this a very easy dish to bring together and it produced a very nice pasta sauce. The sauce was full of flavour thanks to the anchovy and capers. Personally I’d add a little less capers and anchovy to soften the flavour a little. And as my picture below shows my version didn’t come out quite as rich in colour as Nigellas picture suggests. I was expecting a more deep red but the flavour was still there which is the main thing. But with my rather anemic looking sauce I wouldn’t perhaps serve this to friends as Nigella suggests.

Ingredients

• 500g/1lb 2oz fusilli lunghi or other pasta of your choice
• salt, to taste
• 250g/9oz cherry tomatoes
• 6 anchovy fillets
• 25g/1oz sultanas
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 tbsp capers, drained and rinsed
• 50g/2oz blanched almonds
• 4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• small bunch basil, leaves picked

Preparation method

1. Put abundant water on to boil for the pasta, waiting for it to come to the boil before salting it. Add the pasta and cook according to packet instructions, though start checking it a good two minutes before it’s meant to be ready.
2. While the pasta is cooking, make the sauce by putting all the remaining ingredients, bar the basil, into a processor and blitzing until you have a nubbly-textured sauce.
3. Just before draining the pasta, remove a cupful of pasta-cooking water and add two tablespoons of it down the full of the processor, pulsing as you go.
4. Tip the drained pasta into your warmed serving bowl, Pour and scrape the sauce on top, tossing to coat (add a little more pasta-cooking water if you need it) and strew with basil leaves.