Trenette alla Genovese

from Recipes From Paradise
by Fred Plotkin

Trenette with Pesto, Potatoes, and String Beans

This is the classic pasta dish of Genoa. Trenette are dried flat strands of pasta that you can purchase from one of the bitter pasta brands of Italy that are available now in most countries. Of course Agnesi, Liguria's most famous pasta producer, makes trenette, as do producers from other Italian regions, including Barilla and DeCecco. If you cannot locate trenette, linguine (that is, "little tongues") are an acceptable substitute. While pasta with pesto is famous throughout Liguria and beyond, the addition of potatoes and string beans is classically Genoese, although the practice is thought to have originated in the smaller towns of the Levante.

4 ounces/110 g fresh thin string beans, washed, cut in half, tips cut off
2 medium potatoes, washed, peeled, cut into bite-sized cubes
2 ounces/350 g trenette
4 tablespoons/60 ml pesto
1 tablespoons cooking water from the pasta pot
Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (optional)

Makes 4 servings

Bring a large pot of cold water to boil. While it reached a boil, toss in a pinch of sea salt. When the water returns to a boil, add the string beans and potato cubes. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes, or until you can poke a fork easily into one of the potato cubes. Then add the trenette and cool until al dente, following the instructions on the package. While the pasta is cooking, place the pesto in a large serving bowl and stir in 1 tablespoon of hot water from the pasta pot. When the pasta are al dente, drain them along with the string beans and potatoes in a colander. Immediately transfer to the serving bowl, toss well, and then serve in individual bowls. You may add a pinch of Parmigiano-Reggiano to the dish, but do not overdo it or the dish will dry out (remember, there is already cheese in the pesto).

© 1997 by Fred Plotkin