Pasta Alla Trapenese with Black Olive Mollica
From Ainsley’s Taste of Malta, ITV
As in Sicily, pasta and pizza are among Malta’s favourite dishes and there is an emphasis on the use of olive oil and fresh vegetables, particularly tomatoes. Despite their warm climate, the Maltese have a fondness for baked pasta dishes, but I find there’s no better way to show off the beauty of fresh ingredients than with a simple pasta sauce. Trapanese is a traditional Sicilian pesto of almonds and tomatoes which has a more delicate flavour than the more well-known pesto Genovese. It’s traditionally served with toasted breadcrumbs (mollica) rather than extra cheese and I’ve jazzed up my crumb with black olives and lemon zest. A good olive oil is essential for pesto and the Maltese olive oil is among the best in the world – its rich, golden and full of Mediterranean flavour.
Method
Pulse the tomatoes a couple of times in a food processor to break them up and then tip into a sieve to drain away any excess liquid.
Toast the almonds in a dry frying pan until lightly golden. Keep an eye on them as they can easily burn. Leave to cool then tip into the food processor. Add a pinch of salt and the garlic and grind until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Add the drained tomatoes, basil, mint and a drizzle of oil and pulse until combined. Drizzle in 4 tablespoons of the oil with the motor running until you have a slightly textured or smooth pesto, depending on your preference. Tip into a bowl and stir in the pecorino. Taste and add lemon juice and seasoning according to taste and adding the remaining oil if needed. Set aside to allow the flavours to develop while you cook the pasta and breadcrumbs.
Cook the pasta in a large pan of well salted water until al dente.
Meanwhile make the mollica: heat the oil in a frying pan over a medium heat and when hot add the breadcrumbs. Cook, stirring, for 2-3 minutes until lightly golden and toasted. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds until lightly fragrant. Add the olives, chilli flakes and lemon zest and season with salt and pepper. Stir and remove from the heat. Stir in the parsley.
Drain the pasta, reserving some of the pasta water and return to the pan. Add the pesto and stir over a low heat for a minute, adding a little pasta water to loosen if needed.
Serve in warmed pasta bowls with a good sprinkling of the crispy olive breadcrumbs.
Ingredients
- For the Pasta
- 325g fresh vine cherry or baby plum tomatoes (or peeled medium vine tomatoes)
- 500g busiate, cassarecce or similar short pasta
- 70g blanched almonds
- 1-2 cloves of garlic, peeled
- small bunch (25g) of basil, leaves picked
- 8-10 mint leaves
- 70g pecorino cheese, grated (or vegan Italian-hard cheese)
- 5 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ lemon, for squeezing
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- For the Breadcrumbs
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 slices of white or whole-grain bread, blitzed to a coarse crumb
- 1 small clove of garlic, minced
- 50g black olives, pitted, chopped
- pinch of dried chilli flakes
- zest of 1 lemon
- 2 tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley