Pesto alla Trapanese aka “Red Pesto” with Spicy Italian Sausage

This is one of those pastas that a lot people have never heard of, and that is extremely sad as it one of my favorite pastas to cook. This pesto base is made with tomatoes and almonds instead of the more traditional basil and pine nuts, and it is *chefs kiss* delicious. I add spicy Italian sausage to give it some oomph but you can totally skip that part and just make it vegetarian and serve it with your choice of noodle!

Recipe adapted from Colu Henry’s “Back Pocket Pasta”

what you need:

• 3/4 pound pasta I think a curly pasta works best here, like a gemelli, corkscrew, or rotini
• 1 package spicy Italian sausage, not the kind in the casing, the “ground meat” type
• 1/4 cup unsalted raw whole almonds
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1 pound cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
• 2 cups roughly chopped mixed fresh basil and parsley
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

what you need to do:

• Cook pasta as directed on package in super salty water.
• In a large pot, cook Italian sausage until browned. Drain the grease, set aside.
• Toast the almonds in a nonstick skilled on medium heat, stirring every few seconds to make sure they do not burn, about 3 – 4 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
• In food processor, combine almonds, salt, tomatoes, herbs, garlic, red pepper flakes, and black pepper. Pulse until it is thoroughly combined.
• Pour the olive oil in through the spout at the stop of the lid while pulsing until all is combined and it emulsifies. It should be a smooth paste. The almonds, garlic, tomatoes, and herbs should all be very finely chopped.
• Fold the grated cheese into the paste.
• Return the cooked sausage to low heat, and using a slotted spoon, add the cooked pasta.
• Add in the pesto and mix until combined, adding 1 – 2 tablespoons of pasta water to break down the sauce and smooth it out.
• Serve with fresh chopped parsley or basil and grated parm!