Annas Spaghetti And Pesto Trapanese Pesto Alla Anna Recipes

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 400 degrees F/200 degrees C. Line an 8-inch/20 cm baking tin with parchment, and brush with butter.
• Peel and thinly slice the potatoes, then toss in a bowl with the cream to saturate. Pulling the potatoes from the cream, build layers of them in the baking tin, seasoning and scattering over the herbs as you go. Brush another sheet of parchment with butter and place it butter-side down on the potatoes. Set another heavy dish on top to weigh down the potatoes. Bake until tender, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Let cool before turning out and cutting into squares or wedges to serve.

Steps:

• In the bowl of a food processor, combine the basil, salt, and pepper and process for a few seconds until the basil is chopped. Add the cheese, pine nuts, and garlic and, while the processor is running, add the oil in a thin, steady stream until a mostly smooth sauce is formed. Transfer pesto to a bowl and set aside. (Note: Pesto may be made 1 day in advance and kept, refrigerated, in an airtight container, until ready to use. If making in advance, be sure to cover the top of the pesto with a thin layer of olive oil to prevent the pesto from darkening. Pesto may also be frozen in the same manner in small quantities for use at a later date.)
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook, according to package directions, until al dente. Drain pasta, reserving 1/4 cup of the cooking liquid. In a large bowl, toss pasta with pesto. Add a little of the reserved cooking liquid if pasta seems to dry. Serve immediately.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Thinly slice the potatoes using a mandoline, the slicing blade of a food processor or a chef's knife.
• Place the butter in the cast-iron or ovenproof skillet and melt it in the preheated oven. Remove and swirl the butter around to coat, and then pour the butter into a dish.
• Arrange the sweet potato slices in overlapping concentric circles in the skillet, brushing each layer with some of the butter, sprinkling with salt and pepper, and pressing down to compact, until all of the potatoes and butter have been used. Place a layer of foil directly on the top layer and place an empty pan on top to pack the potatoes down.
• Bake until the potato cake can be easily pierced with a knife indicating the potatoes are tender, about 45 minutes. Run a metal spatula around the edge and then carefully invert the potato cake onto a serving platter.

Steps:

• Position a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 450 degrees F. Peel the sweet potatoes and slice into 1/8-inch-thick rounds (use a mandoline if you have one). Peel half of the russet potatoes and slice into 1/8-inch-thick rounds. (Do not rinse-you'll need the starch for the dish to set.)
• Coat the bottom of a 10-inch nonstick ovenproof skillet with 4 tablespoons melted butter. Starting in the center of the skillet, arrange a layer of russet potato slices in concentric circles, slightly overlapping them. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and some of the rosemary leaves.
• Set the skillet over medium heat. Working quickly, add the remaining sliced russets in 2 more layers, then the sliced sweet potatoes in 2 layers, sprinkling lightly with more salt and rosemary between layers. (Check to make sure the bottom is browning evenly; adjust the heat as needed.) Drizzle with 4 tablespoons melted butter. Peel and thinly slice the remaining russet potatoes and add them to the skillet in 2 or 3 more layers, lightly seasoning each layer with salt and rosemary. Drizzle with the remaining 4 tablespoons melted butter.
• When the potatoes are golden brown on the bottom, transfer the skillet to the oven and bake until the potatoes soften slightly, about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven; center the bottom of a 9-inch cake pan on the surface of the potatoes and press firmly a few times to help the layers stick together. Remove the cake pan and return the skillet to the oven; bake until the potatoes are tender and the top is golden brown, about 20 more minutes.
• Let the potatoes cool 5 minutes in the skillet, then run a small knife around the edge to loosen. Set an inverted serving plate on top of the skillet and carefully flip the potatoes onto the plate. Season with salt and pepper.

Steps:

• Rinse the cherry tomatoes and pat them dry. Rinse the basil leaves and pat dry. Drop the tomatoes into the blender jar or food processor bowl followed by the garlic clove, the almonds, basil leaves, peperoncino and 1/2 tsp salt. Blend for a minute or more to a fine purée; scrape down the bowl and blend again if any large bits or pieces have survived. With the machine still running, pour in the olive oil in a steady stream, emulsifying the purée into a thick pesto. Taste and adjust seasoning. (If you're going to dress the pasta within a couple of hours, leave the pesto at room temperature. Refrigerate for longer storage, up to 2 days, but let it return to room temperature before cooking the pasta.)

Steps:

• Sauté the almonds in a little olive oil until tan.
• Put basil, garlic, and salt in food processor and chop. Put aside.
• Put in almonds and pulse until size of orzo.
• Put tomatoes, almonds, basil garlic, cheese, and olive oil back in food processor and whir briefly. Add some fresh-ground coarse pepper.
• Boil linguine. If you are Sicilian, become hysterical at the prospect of overcooked pasta. Break open a strand every 60 seconds, and when there is one tiny white speck at the center, drain instantly. Save a cupful of pasta water.
• Put pasta in with pesto and mix quickly. Add a little pasta water if necessary. Serve lukewarm or at room temperature.

Steps:

• Grind almonds and garlic in processor. Add 1 cup basil and chop finely. Add 6 peeled tomatoes and chop finely. Add oil and puree until almost smooth. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be prepared 6 hours ahead. Cover and chill.)
• Cook spaghetti in large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to bite. Drain. Return to pot. Add sauce and toss to coat. Transfer to large bowl. Top with slivered basil and tomatoes. Serve, passing cheese separately.

Steps:

• A half teaspoon of red wine vinegar and ¼ teaspoon of red pepper flakes can be substituted for the pepperoncini. If you don't have a food processor, a blender may be substituted. In step 2, pulse ingredients until roughly chopped, then proceed with the recipe, reducing processing times by half.
• 1. Toast almonds in small skillet over medium heat, stirring frequently, until pale golden and fragrant, 2 to 4 minutes. Cool almonds to room temperature.
• 2. Process cooled almonds, tomatoes, basil, garlic, pepperoncini, 1 teaspoon salt, and red pepper flakes (if using) in food processor until smooth, about 1 minute. Scrape down sides of bowl with rubber spatula. With machine running, slowly drizzle in oil, about 30 seconds.
• 3. Meanwhile, bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. Add pasta and 1 tablespoon salt and cook until al dente. Reserve ½ cup cooking water; drain pasta and transfer back to cooking pot.
• 4. Add pesto and ½ cup Parmesan to cooked pasta, adjusting consistency with reser.

Steps:

• Cover the almonds with boiling water for a few minutes to loosen their skins, then slip them off with your fingers when they are cool enough to handle. Try not to cut corners and use ready blanched almonds, as nuts quickly lose their flavour without their protective skins. Toast the almonds in a non-stick frying pan, stirring frequently for a few minutes until they are pale gold.
• Whizz the basil, garlic and a little coarse sea salt in a food processor and tip into a large bowl. Process the almonds, again with a little salt, using the pulse button, until they're the size of small grains of rice.
• Peel the tomatoes, de-seed by halving and squeezing over the sink, then chop into medium dice. Mix the tomatoes and the almonds into the basil and garlic, add the grated cheese and olive oil and mix well. Taste and season with pepper and - only if needed - a little salt.
• Boil the pasta in the usual way, taking care to keep it very al dente, especially if you are planning to serve it cold. The Sicilians are probably the most fussy of all Italians about pasta, and they are very quick to declare it scotta, which means overcooked. To judge when to drain the pasta, cut a piece of pasta open: when it has a tiny uncooked white speck at the centre, drain it. It will be perfectly cooked all the way through by the time you serve it.
• Drain the pasta but reserve a couple of ladles of the pasta water. Tip the pasta into the bowl with the pesto and mix it gently but quickly, so that the melting cheese is well distributed. Add a little pasta water if necessary so the sauce lightly coats each pasta corkscrew. The pasta can be served now, lukewarm, or at room temperature, but don't chill, as this dulls the heady aromas which are the joy of this dish.