Sicilian Citrus Pesto Recipe

We’re celebrating Pasta Veloce today! If you start today, by early August, you will have made all of the over 100 recipes in this wonderful collection that Frances, along with her co-author Susan Wyler, have compiled. I’ve tasted them all, made many of them myself (I think you all know that I love to cook), and can’t wait to continue to share them with friends. Recipes you can make in the time it takes to boil water and cook the pasta! This one is from a whole chapter on pestos, and this one, like several others, can do double duty as a dip or spread on crackers. Just mix the pesto with some cream cheese or mascarpone. Many of the pestos are also great for grilled meats and fish.

Sicilian Citrus Pesto
 
Makes ½ cup (120 ml)
 
Fragrant agrumi, citrus, marries well with simple seafood pastas such as crab, sautéed halibut, sole, and shrimp. The tangy citrus wakes up grilled chicken, too. This generously dresses 12 to 14 ounces (340 to 400 g) of pasta. Doubles easily, but it’s assertive so the small amount is usually sufficient.
 
2 cups basil leaves
2 garlic cloves, quartered
¼ teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons orange juice
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon lime juice
2 tablespoons sliced almonds
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
½ cup (50 g) grated Parmigiano Reggiano or Pecorino Toscana
 
In a food processor, combine the basil, garlic, salt, orange juice, lemon juice, lime juice, and almonds. Pulse 4 or 5 times. Then with the machine on, add the olive oil, then the cheese. Wipe down the inside of the processor with a spatula. Pulse about 10 times, until the pesto is coarsely chopped.