Sicilian-style pesto is a delicious variation of the classic Genoese pesto, typical of the island's culinary tradition. Prepared with ripe tomatoes, fresh ricotta, basil, almonds, garlic and extra virgin olive oil, this condiment is distinguished by its rosy color, creamy texture and delicately aromatic taste.
Perfect for dressing short pasta, spaghetti or crostini, Sicilian pesto is ideal for the summer months, when tomatoes are at their sweetest. Discover how to make homemade Sicilian pesto in minutes: simple, wholesome and irresistibly fragrant.
2. Discard the seeds inside and squeeze them lightly to remove excess liquid.
3. Wash the basil leaves and dry them gently with a cloth.
4. Peel the garlic clove and divide it in half.
5. Pour the tomatoes, basil and garlic into the blender. Add the pine nuts, parmesan cheese and ricotta cheese. Last, add the extra virgin olive oil and run the blender intermittently, at minimum speed. Once the desired degree of creaminess is achieved, turn off the mixer.
6. Pour the pesto into a bowl, taste and adjust salt and pepper to taste.
Sicilian-style pesto and the importance of raw materials
The ingredients for Sicilian-style pesto are few, but they must be the right, quality ones to ensure a good result.
Tomatoes: we recommend that you use the smooth round coppery tomato (also known as the cluster tomato). The firm flesh and distinct flavor, not acidic and tending toward sweet, make it perfect for our pesto. If you can't find it, pachino tomatoes will also do.
Basil: The perfect basil for pesto is Ligurian basil, which has a more delicate flavor, without that hint of mint characteristic of other varieties. You'll recognize it by its small, convex, oval-shaped leaves and soft green color.
Extra virgin olive oil: we saved this for last as it is a key ingredient to bind all the others together, to give the Sicilian-style pesto an extra touch of flavor.
We used Il Casolare Farchioni Rustic Natural Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil, made from organically grown, harvested and pressed olives from Italy. This unfiltered oil is characterized by a very delicate aroma and a slightly fruity taste, which is well suited to the preparation of Sicilian-style pesto.
Preparation tips for pesto
Precisely because our recipe is very simple, it would be a real shame to ruin it by making gross mistakes. Here are a few tricks for not making mistakes.
Remember to remove the seeds inside the tomatoes to prevent them from ruining the creaminess of the pesto, after which squeeze them lightly so the pesto does not become too watery.
Handle basil leaves carefully, without crumpling them too much when drying them, to prevent them from losing the essential oils inside, and consequently taste and fragrance.
True Sicilian-style pesto should be made with a pestle, but a blender will work fine too (you can get more creaminess that way). Remember to use it at the lowest speed and turn it on intermittently so that the blades don't get too hot, oxidizing the basil leaves.
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