Pasta with a fresh herb and fava bean pesto
It is a spring pesto, which first requires some patience and meditation in shelling the beans, but then you can make it while you cook the pasta. It has all the fragrance and taste of a seasonal picnic, even when it is raining outside.
Servings 4 people
Ingredients
- 1,5 kg (3.31 lb) of fava beans, about 300 g (10 oz) once shelled
- 10 fresh basil leaves
- 10 fresh mint leaves
- a few sprigs of fresh thyme
- 60 ml (4 tbsp) of extra virgin olive oil
- 100 g (3.53 oz) of aged Tuscan pecorino
- a few rounds of black pepper
- 400 g (3/4 lb) of short pasta, in my case whole wheat mezze maniche
Instructions
- Shell the fava beans and collect them in a blender glass. Add the fresh herbs and the olive oil.
- Blend for a few seconds at a time, so as not to overheat the olive oil, until you get a fairly smooth and pesto. I like to leave some texture, so I stop before it becomes too smooth, when it's still quite rustic.
- Transfer the pesto into a bowl and add the grated pecorino cheese. Mix well, add a little more olive oil if needed, and season with salt and pepper. Taste until you find the perfect balance.
- Scoop the pesto in a jar and cover it with olive oil. You can keep it in the fridge for a few days.
- When you want to use the fava bean pesto, cook the pasta in plenty of boiling salted water. Drain the pasta al dente and reserve half a glass of water to dilute the pesto.
- Pour the pesto into a bowl and add a few tablespoons of hot water, then stir well to soften the pesto. Pour the pasta into the bowl, toss it and serve with a sprinkling of grated pecorino.
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