Cooking Italy: Pasta with Pesto, Green Beans and Potatoes

If carbohydrates were indecent, then this dish would be pornographic. Not that I like pron, but this dish is that good.

This is part of my Cooking Italy quest. I've really been enjoying reading Marcella Hazan's book "Essentials of Classical Italian Cooking." I've also been enjoying the camraderie of the group that I'm working with.

And of course - potatoes AND pasta? In one dish? Oh heaven ...


Pasta with Pesto, Green Beans and Potatoes
from "Essentials of Classical Italian Cooking" by Marcella Hazan

2 C. tightly packed fresh picked basil leaves (**I actually found mine at the natural food cooperative since my basil plant still needs to do some growing!)
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 T pine nuts (toasted - erm ... I forgot this step ... if I do toast, I usually do it in a dry skillet on medium heat - make sure you watch, otherwise you'll scorch)
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped before processing
Salt

Wash basil and dry with paper towels. I used my food processor to incorporate these ingredients. Do the rest by hand and add:

1/2 cup freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese
2 T freshly grated romano cheese
3 T butter, softened

(and who am I kidding? My Wisconsin cheese stash is almost nil at this point, so I did buy some of the pre-grated stuff from the grocery store ... sorry friends!)

For Assembly

1 1/2 pounds pasta (I used some whole wheat noodles that I found at the natural food store - they were fabulous!)
3 small new potatoes, boiled in skin, skin removed afterward, thinly sliced (I used Yukon gold ... awesome!)
1/2 pound young green beans, ends snapped, cut half (depending on size)
Save a few tablespoons of pasta water to add into pesto

Toss pesto with cooked pasta, beans, and potatoes. Add in pasta water as needed. Serve immediately. Season with salt and pepper to taste.