20 pestos, four seasons

Every pesto. One plate.

20 pasta recipes, sorted by the season they taste best. Each plate is drawn as the finished dish and turns a full circle. Press Listen with Grok and the method is read aloud, step by step.

Spring

Wild garlic, peas, asparagus, and the first green herbs. 05 plates.

Italy · Arugula and walnut

01 / 20

Linguine al Pesto di Rucola

Peppery arugula stands in for basil, with walnut, lemon, and parmesan. It is dinner in the time it takes the water to boil.

Serves 420 minSpring

Ingredients

  • 400 g linguine
  • 80 g wild arugula
  • 40 g walnuts
  • 1 small garlic clove
  • Zest and juice of half a lemon
  • 40 g Parmigiano Reggiano, finely grated
  • 70 ml extra-virgin olive oil
  • Sea salt

Method

  1. Pulse the arugula, walnuts, garlic, lemon zest, and a pinch of salt. Stream in the olive oil and the lemon juice, then stir in the cheese.
  2. Boil the linguine in salted water until al dente. Reserve a cup of pasta water and drain.
  3. Toss with the pesto off the heat, adding pasta water until every strand is coated and still bright green.
  4. Finish with more lemon zest and a few walnut pieces. Eat while it is hot.

Puglia, adapted · Pea and mint

02 / 20

Orecchiette al Pesto di Piselli

Sweet peas and mint, crushed with almond and lemon. The little ears of orecchiette catch the green cream.

Serves 425 minSpring

Ingredients

  • 400 g orecchiette
  • 300 g fresh or frozen peas
  • 20 g mint leaves
  • 30 g almonds
  • Zest of 1 lemon
  • 40 g Pecorino Romano, finely grated
  • 50 ml extra-virgin olive oil
  • Sea salt

Method

  1. Boil the peas in salted water until just tender, about two minutes for frozen peas and four for fresh. Scoop them out and keep the water boiling for the pasta.
  2. Reserve a spoonful of peas for the top. Blend the rest with the mint, almonds, lemon zest, olive oil, and a pinch of salt until mostly smooth.
  3. Stir in the pecorino. Boil the orecchiette in the pea water until al dente. Reserve a cup of that water and drain.
  4. Toss the pasta with the pesto off the heat, loosening with the starchy water.
  5. Finish with the reserved peas, mint leaves, and more zest.

Spring, Europe · Wild garlic

03 / 20

Spaghetti al Pesto d’Aglio Orsino

Ramsons, for the few weeks they carpet the woods. The leaves smell unmistakably of garlic and turn the spaghetti a pale spring green.

Serves 420 minSpring

Ingredients

  • 400 g spaghetti
  • 80 g wild garlic leaves, well washed
  • 30 g pine nuts
  • 40 g Parmigiano Reggiano, finely grated
  • Zest of half a lemon
  • 70 ml extra-virgin olive oil
  • Sea salt

Method

  1. Use only leaves you have identified as wild garlic: they smell of garlic when crushed. Wash them and shake them dry.
  2. Pulse the leaves with the pine nuts, lemon zest, and a pinch of salt. Stream in the olive oil, then stir in the cheese. Do not cook it.
  3. Boil the spaghetti in salted water until al dente. Reserve a cup of pasta water and drain.
  4. Toss with the pesto off the heat, adding pasta water until the noodles are silky and fragrant.
  5. Serve at once. The perfume fades if the pasta sits.

Spring, Italy · Asparagus

04 / 20

Fusilli al Pesto di Asparagi

The first asparagus, tips kept back for the top, stalks blitzed with almond, lemon, and pecorino. The spirals catch a pale green cream.

Serves 425 minSpring

Ingredients

  • 400 g fusilli
  • 400 g asparagus, woody ends snapped off
  • 30 g almonds
  • 1 small garlic clove
  • Zest and juice of half a lemon
  • 40 g Pecorino Romano, finely grated
  • 50 ml extra-virgin olive oil
  • Sea salt

Method

  1. Cut the tips off the asparagus and set them aside. Chop the stalks.
  2. Boil the stalks in salted water for four minutes, until tender. Scoop them out. In the same water, boil the tips for two minutes, then lift them out.
  3. Blend the stalks with the almonds, garlic, lemon zest, olive oil, and a pinch of salt until mostly smooth. Stir in the pecorino and a squeeze of lemon.
  4. Boil the fusilli in the asparagus water until al dente. Reserve a cup of water and drain.
  5. Toss with the pesto off the heat, loosening with pasta water. Finish with the asparagus tips and more zest.

Spring, central Italy · Fava bean

05 / 20

Strozzapreti al Pesto di Fave

Young fava beans, peeled and crushed with mint, pecorino, and a little lemon. Soft twisted pasta holds the sweet green mash.

Serves 430 minSpring

Ingredients

  • 400 g strozzapreti, or gemelli
  • 400 g fresh fava beans, podded (about 200 g peeled)
  • 15 g mint leaves
  • 1 small garlic clove
  • Zest of 1 lemon
  • 50 g Pecorino Romano, finely grated
  • 50 ml extra-virgin olive oil
  • Sea salt

Method

  1. Boil the podded beans for one minute if they are young, or three if the skins look thick. Drain and peel off the pale skins. Keep a spoonful of beans whole.
  2. Pulse the rest with the mint, garlic, lemon zest, olive oil, and a pinch of salt. Stir in the pecorino. It should stay a little coarse.
  3. Boil the strozzapreti in salted water until al dente. Reserve a cup of pasta water and drain.
  4. Toss with the pesto off the heat, adding pasta water until the twists are coated.
  5. Scatter the whole beans, more mint, and pecorino on top.

Summer

Basil, tomatoes, zucchini, and peppers while the sun is high. 06 plates.

Liguria · Basil pesto

06 / 20

Trofie al Pesto Genovese

The Ligurian original: basil, pine nuts, garlic, and both cheeses, loosened with pasta water and tossed with trofie, potato, and green beans.

Serves 425 minSummer

Ingredients

  • 400 g trofie
  • 200 g green beans, trimmed
  • 2 small waxy potatoes, peeled and diced
  • 50 g fresh basil leaves
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 30 g pine nuts
  • 40 g Parmigiano Reggiano, finely grated
  • 20 g Pecorino Romano, finely grated
  • 80 ml extra-virgin olive oil
  • Sea salt

Method

  1. Dip the basil in boiling water for five seconds, then straight into ice water. Squeeze it dry so the pesto stays bright green.
  2. Pound or pulse the garlic with a pinch of salt, then the pine nuts, then the basil, until you have a coarse paste. Stir in both cheeses and the olive oil. Do not cook the pesto.
  3. Boil the potatoes in well-salted water for six minutes. Add the beans and the trofie and cook until the pasta is al dente.
  4. Reserve a cup of pasta water and drain. Off the heat, toss the pasta, potatoes, and beans with the pesto, adding pasta water until the sauce coats every piece.
  5. Serve at once with a little extra cheese. Never put the pesto back over the flame.

Southern Italy · Sun-dried tomato

07 / 20

Spaghetti al Pesto Rosso

A deep red pesto of oil-packed tomatoes, almonds, and pecorino. It clings to spaghetti and tastes like late summer from a jar.

Serves 420 minSummer

Ingredients

  • 400 g spaghetti
  • 120 g oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained
  • 40 g blanched almonds, lightly toasted
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 20 g basil leaves
  • 40 g Pecorino Romano, finely grated
  • 60 ml extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
  • Chili flakes and sea salt

Method

  1. Pulse the tomatoes, almonds, garlic, basil, vinegar, and a pinch of chili until coarse. Stream in the olive oil, then stir in the pecorino. Salt to taste.
  2. Boil the spaghetti in well-salted water until al dente. Reserve a cup of pasta water before draining.
  3. Toss the pasta with the pesto off the heat, loosening it with pasta water until the noodles shine.
  4. Plate in a tall nest and finish with more pecorino and a few basil leaves.

Sicily · Tomato and almond

08 / 20

Busiate al Pesto alla Trapanese

Trapani’s answer to Genoa: raw cherry tomatoes, toasted almonds, and basil, pounded the way a Genoese would pound basil.

Serves 425 minSummer

Ingredients

  • 400 g busiate, or fusilli
  • 300 g ripe cherry tomatoes
  • 50 g blanched almonds, lightly toasted
  • 25 g basil leaves
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 50 g Pecorino Romano, finely grated
  • 40 ml extra-virgin olive oil
  • Sea salt

Method

  1. Chop the tomatoes roughly. Pulse them with the almonds, garlic, basil, and a good pinch of salt until the pesto is rustic, not smooth.
  2. Stir in the olive oil and the pecorino. Taste. It should be bright, salty, and a little sweet from the tomatoes.
  3. Boil the busiate in salted water until al dente. Reserve a ladle of pasta water and drain.
  4. Toss with the pesto off the heat. Add pasta water only if the sauce looks tight. Serve immediately, with basil on top.

A new pesto · Cilantro and lime

09 / 20

Fusilli al Pesto di Coriandolo

Cilantro, lime, pumpkin seed, and a little green chili. Not from Liguria, and none the worse for it. The spirals grab every drop.

Serves 420 minSummer

Ingredients

  • 400 g fusilli
  • 60 g cilantro, leaves and tender stems
  • 30 g pumpkin seeds
  • 1 small garlic clove
  • Half a mild green chili, seeded
  • Zest and juice of 1 lime
  • 40 g Parmigiano Reggiano, finely grated
  • 60 ml extra-virgin olive oil
  • Sea salt

Method

  1. Pulse the cilantro, pumpkin seeds, garlic, chili, lime zest, and a pinch of salt. Stream in the olive oil and the lime juice.
  2. Stir in the cheese. Taste and add more lime if you want it sharper.
  3. Boil the fusilli in salted water until al dente. Reserve a cup of pasta water and drain.
  4. Toss with the pesto off the heat, adding pasta water until the spirals are coated and still vivid.
  5. Finish with extra pumpkin seeds and lime zest.

Italy · Roasted pepper

10 / 20

Rigatoni al Pesto di Peperoni

Sweet roasted peppers, almonds, and a thread of smoked paprika. Silkier than basil pesto, and made for ridged tubes.

Serves 425 minSummer

Ingredients

  • 400 g rigatoni
  • 2 large roasted red peppers, drained
  • 40 g almonds, lightly toasted
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 15 g basil leaves
  • 40 g Parmigiano Reggiano, finely grated
  • 40 ml extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon sherry vinegar
  • Sea salt

Method

  1. Pat the peppers dry. Blend them with the almonds, garlic, paprika, basil, vinegar, and a pinch of salt until smooth.
  2. Stream in the olive oil and stir in the cheese. The pesto should be thick enough to sit on a spoon.
  3. Boil the rigatoni in salted water until al dente. Reserve a cup of pasta water and drain.
  4. Toss with the pesto off the heat. Loosen with pasta water so the sauce lines the ridges.
  5. Dust with a little more paprika and a few basil leaves.

Summer, Italy · Zucchini and mint

11 / 20

Spaghetti al Pesto di Zucchine

Zucchini cooked only until sweet, then crushed with mint, almond, and lemon. It is a light summer pesto that still clings to spaghetti.

Serves 425 minSummer

Ingredients

  • 400 g spaghetti
  • 3 medium zucchini
  • 20 g mint leaves
  • 30 g almonds
  • 1 small garlic clove
  • Zest of 1 lemon
  • 40 g Parmigiano Reggiano, finely grated
  • 50 ml extra-virgin olive oil
  • Sea salt and black pepper

Method

  1. Slice two zucchini into coins. Cut the third into long thin ribbons for the top.
  2. Warm the olive oil in a wide pan and cook the coins with a pinch of salt until soft and just golden, about eight minutes. Let them cool a little.
  3. Pulse the cooked zucchini with the mint, almonds, garlic, and lemon zest. Stir in the cheese and a grind of pepper.
  4. Boil the spaghetti in salted water until al dente. Reserve a cup of pasta water and drain.
  5. Toss with the pesto off the heat. Lay the raw ribbons on top with more mint.

Autumn

Walnuts, mushrooms, pumpkin, and pistachio from the harvest. 04 plates.

Liguria · Walnut pesto

12 / 20

Tagliatelle alla Salsa di Noci

Genoa’s other sauce: walnuts, a little milk-soaked bread, garlic, and marjoram. Pale, rich, and made for wide noodles.

Serves 430 minAutumn

Ingredients

  • 400 g fresh or dried tagliatelle
  • 150 g walnuts
  • 1 small garlic clove
  • 30 g day-old bread, crust removed
  • 60 ml whole milk
  • 40 g Parmigiano Reggiano, finely grated
  • A few marjoram leaves
  • 40 ml extra-virgin olive oil
  • Sea salt and black pepper

Method

  1. Soak the bread in the milk until soft, then squeeze it lightly. Keep the milk.
  2. Pulse the walnuts, garlic, bread, marjoram, and a pinch of salt to a coarse cream. Stream in the olive oil and enough of the soaking milk to loosen it. Stir in the cheese and a grind of pepper.
  3. Boil the tagliatelle in salted water. Fresh pasta will be ready in about three minutes; dried pasta, until al dente.
  4. Reserve pasta water, drain, and toss with the walnut sauce off the heat, adding a splash of pasta water so it coats the ribbons.
  5. Serve with extra walnuts and marjoram. The sauce should look ivory, not brown.

Sicily · Pistachio

13 / 20

Paccheri al Pesto di Pistacchio

Bronte pistachios, barely sweet and very green, blended with a little basil and pecorino. The large tubes hold the sauce.

Serves 425 minAutumn

Ingredients

  • 400 g paccheri
  • 100 g unsalted pistachios, plus extra to finish
  • 15 g basil leaves
  • 1 small garlic clove
  • 40 g Pecorino Romano, finely grated
  • 60 ml extra-virgin olive oil
  • Sea salt

Method

  1. Set aside a small handful of pistachios for the top. Pulse the rest with the basil, garlic, and a pinch of salt until sandy.
  2. Stream in the olive oil to a thick pesto. Stir in the pecorino. It should be vivid green, not a paste so tight it crumbles.
  3. Boil the paccheri in salted water until al dente, stirring so the tubes do not stick. Reserve a cup of pasta water and drain.
  4. Toss with the pesto off the heat and loosen with pasta water until the sauce slides inside the tubes.
  5. Chop the reserved pistachios and scatter them over the plates.

Autumn, Italy · Mushroom and parsley

14 / 20

Tagliatelle al Pesto di Funghi

Dried porcini soaked and chopped with parsley, garlic, and a few walnuts. The ribbons come out the color of a forest floor.

Serves 430 minAutumn

Ingredients

  • 400 g tagliatelle
  • 25 g dried porcini
  • 200 g fresh mushrooms, finely chopped
  • 25 g flat-leaf parsley
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 30 g walnuts
  • 40 g Parmigiano Reggiano, finely grated
  • 40 ml extra-virgin olive oil
  • Sea salt and black pepper

Method

  1. Cover the porcini with hot water and soak for fifteen minutes. Lift them out, squeeze them, and chop them. Keep the soaking liquid, strained.
  2. Warm the olive oil and cook the garlic, fresh mushrooms, and porcini with a pinch of salt until the pan is dry and the mushrooms are browned. Cool them.
  3. Pulse the mushrooms with the parsley, walnuts, and a grind of pepper until coarse. Stir in the cheese and a spoon of the porcini liquid.
  4. Boil the tagliatelle in salted water until al dente. Reserve a cup of pasta water and drain.
  5. Toss with the pesto off the heat, loosening with pasta water. Finish with parsley and a few walnut pieces.

Autumn, northern Italy · Pumpkin and sage

15 / 20

Paccheri al Pesto di Zucca

Roasted pumpkin, sage, and parmesan, loosened until the large tubes can drink it. Sweet, and a little bitter from the sage.

Serves 435 minAutumn

Ingredients

  • 400 g paccheri
  • 500 g pumpkin or butternut, peeled and cubed
  • 8 sage leaves
  • 1 small garlic clove
  • 40 g Parmigiano Reggiano, finely grated
  • 40 ml extra-virgin olive oil
  • A pinch of dried chili
  • Sea salt

Method

  1. Heat the oven to 200°C. Toss the pumpkin with half the olive oil and a pinch of salt. Roast for twenty-five minutes, until soft and browned at the edges.
  2. Blend the pumpkin with the garlic, half the sage, the chili, and the rest of the oil until smooth. Stir in the cheese.
  3. Boil the paccheri in salted water until al dente, stirring so the tubes stay open. Reserve a cup of pasta water and drain.
  4. Toss with the pesto off the heat, adding pasta water until the sauce slides inside the tubes.
  5. Fry the remaining sage in a teaspoon of oil until crisp and lay it on the plates.

Winter

Kale, bitter leaves, citrus, and the pestos that keep. 05 plates.

Tuscany · Tuscan kale

16 / 20

Penne al Pesto di Cavolo Nero

Cavolo nero, blanched and pounded with pine nuts, lemon, and pecorino. Darker than basil, and just as happy on penne.

Serves 430 minWinter

Ingredients

  • 400 g penne
  • 200 g cavolo nero, stems stripped
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 30 g pine nuts
  • Zest of 1 lemon
  • 50 g Pecorino Romano, finely grated
  • 70 ml extra-virgin olive oil
  • Sea salt and a pinch of chili

Method

  1. Boil the kale in salted water for three minutes, until tender. Lift it out, squeeze it dry, and keep the pot for the pasta.
  2. Pulse the kale with the garlic, pine nuts, lemon zest, chili, and a pinch of salt. Stream in the olive oil, then stir in the pecorino.
  3. Boil the penne in the kale water until al dente. Reserve a cup of water and drain.
  4. Toss with the pesto off the heat. Add pasta water until the sauce is glossy and dark green, not stiff.
  5. Serve with extra pecorino and a strip of lemon zest.

Calabria · Pepper, ricotta, chili

17 / 20

Casarecce al Pesto Calabrese

Roasted pepper loosened with ricotta, pecorino, and Calabrian chili. Creamy, hot, and folded through short twisted pasta.

Serves 425 minWinter

Ingredients

  • 400 g casarecce
  • 200 g roasted red peppers, drained
  • 80 g ricotta
  • 30 g Pecorino Romano, finely grated
  • 1 small garlic clove
  • 1 teaspoon Calabrian chili paste, or a pinch of crushed chili
  • 15 g basil leaves
  • 30 ml extra-virgin olive oil
  • Sea salt

Method

  1. Pat the peppers dry. Blend them with the garlic, chili, basil, olive oil, and a pinch of salt until smooth.
  2. Stir in the ricotta and the pecorino. The pesto should be creamy and loose, with visible heat from the chili.
  3. Boil the casarecce in salted water until al dente. Reserve a cup of pasta water and drain.
  4. Toss with the pesto off the heat. Add a splash of pasta water if the ricotta seizes.
  5. Serve with more pecorino and a small spoon of chili for anyone who wants it hotter.

Winter, Puglia · Broccoli rabe

18 / 20

Orecchiette al Pesto di Cime di Rapa

The bitter greens of a Puglian winter, pounded with anchovy, chili, and pecorino instead of being left in the pan. The little ears hold the dark green.

Serves 425 minWinter

Ingredients

  • 400 g orecchiette
  • 400 g cime di rapa, or broccoli rabe, tough stems trimmed
  • 2 anchovy fillets, rinsed
  • 1 garlic clove
  • A pinch of chili flakes
  • 40 g Pecorino Romano, finely grated
  • 50 ml extra-virgin olive oil
  • Sea salt

Method

  1. Boil the greens in salted water for four minutes, until tender. Lift them out, squeeze them dry, and keep the water.
  2. Pulse the greens with the anchovy, garlic, chili, and olive oil until coarse. Stir in the pecorino.
  3. Boil the orecchiette in the greens’ water until al dente. Reserve a cup of water and drain.
  4. Toss with the pesto off the heat. Add pasta water if the anchovy has made it tight.
  5. Serve with more pecorino and chili for the table.

Winter, southern Italy · Citrus and parsley

19 / 20

Linguine al Pesto di Agrumi

Orange, lemon, parsley, and almond, for the weeks when the garden is quiet and the citrus is not. Bright, and not a drop of cream.

Serves 420 minWinter

Ingredients

  • 400 g linguine
  • 30 g flat-leaf parsley
  • Zest of 1 orange and 1 lemon
  • Juice of half a lemon
  • 40 g almonds, lightly toasted
  • 1 small garlic clove
  • 40 g Parmigiano Reggiano, finely grated
  • 60 ml extra-virgin olive oil
  • Sea salt

Method

  1. Pulse the parsley, both zests, almonds, garlic, and a pinch of salt. Stream in the olive oil and the lemon juice.
  2. Stir in the cheese. Taste. It should smell of orange peel, not of bitterness. If it does, add a little more oil.
  3. Boil the linguine in salted water until al dente. Reserve a cup of pasta water and drain.
  4. Toss with the pesto off the heat, adding pasta water until the strands shine.
  5. Finish with extra zest. Eat at once, while the perfume is loud.

Winter, Veneto · Radicchio and walnut

20 / 20

Penne al Pesto di Radicchio

Radicchio cooked just long enough to lose its raw bite, then crushed with walnut and parmesan. The penne turn a deep rose.

Serves 425 minWinter

Ingredients

  • 400 g penne
  • 1 medium head of radicchio, shredded
  • 50 g walnuts
  • 1 small garlic clove
  • 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
  • 40 g Parmigiano Reggiano, finely grated
  • 40 ml extra-virgin olive oil
  • Sea salt and black pepper

Method

  1. Warm the olive oil and cook the radicchio with a pinch of salt until it collapses and turns a deeper red, about six minutes. Stir in the vinegar and let it cool.
  2. Pulse the radicchio with the walnuts, garlic, and a grind of pepper until coarse. Stir in the cheese.
  3. Boil the penne in salted water until al dente. Reserve a cup of pasta water and drain.
  4. Toss with the pesto off the heat, loosening with pasta water so the bitterness stays gentle.
  5. Finish with chopped walnuts and more parmesan.