Pasta of the Week 5: Trofie al Pesto 💚

A delicious classic made with simple ingredients

We’re baaaack! After a little break, I’m finally back in the kitchen.

This week I made:
✨ Trofie al Pesto di Rucola ✨

I had a lot of arugula (rucola in Italian) to use up so I decided to put it to good use by making pesto. The pesto was slightly peppery but balanced by basil, lemon, pine nuts, and Parmigiano.

It was difficult to find trofie at the supermarket so I made them from scratch using semola flour and water. The ingredients for the pasta are simple but trofie are one of the more challenging pasta shapes to make. I watched a lot of videos to get the proper technique.

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Score:
Flavor: 9/10
The pesto was fresh and so delicious. I loved the way the trofie turned out. Fresh pasta is unbeatable.

Difficulty: 8/10
Shaping the trofie by hand is difficult and requires practice but the pesto is really easy to make.

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Ingredients (Serves 2):

For the pasta:
• 200g semola flour (I ordered it on Amazon)
• 100g water

For the pesto:
• 25g fresh basil (about 1 cup)
• 10g arugula (½ cup)
• 1 small garlic clove
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• a pinch of salt
• 20g pine nuts (3 tbsp)
• 30g grated Parmigiano Reggiano (¼ cup)
• 30ml olive oil (2 tbsp)
• 1–2 tbsp water (to loosen the pesto)

Instructions (40 minutes total):

1. Make the Trofie (30 minutes active): Mix the semola flour and water and knead into a smooth, firm dough. This will take about 5-10 minutes. Cover the dough with cling film and let it rest for 20 minutes, then shape the trofie by hand—small, twisted pieces that vary in size (watch this video to see the technique)

2. Make the Pesto (5 minutes): In a blender or mortar and pestle, combine the basil, arugula, garlic, lemon juice, salt, pine nuts, and Parmigiano. Blend with olive oil and a bit of water until smooth but not too thin. Pesto can be stored in the fridge for up to a week if you cover the top with olive oil (this will avoid oxidation).

3. Cook and Combine (5 minutes): Boil the trofie in salted water until al dente (this will take about 5 minutes). Drain and toss with the pesto, adding a splash of pasta water to help coat the pasta evenly.
   
   Simple, fresh, and so delicious, buon appetito!