Sicilian pesto

Ingredients for 6 servings:

• 2 cup(s) mint leaves, fresh
• 80 g almonds, blanched
• 3 Roma tomatoes
• 2 garlic cloves
• ½ cup Pecorino, grated
• 1 tsp chili, crushed
• olive oil
• Pepper, mixed, from the mill
• Sea salt

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Total time approx. 30 minutes

fresh pesto made from mint, almonds, tomatoes, pecorino and garlic

2 cups of mint leaves correspond to 500 ml in a measuring jug (1 US cup ~250 ml). Finely chop the grated pecorino in a food processor and place it on a deep plate or in a bowl. Now chop the almonds and garlic together and add to the cheese; the almonds should be finely chopped. Wash the mint leaves and pluck them from the stems, then chop the leaves well. If necessary, scrape the mixture off the container and chop again, then add them to the plate/bowl with the remaining ingredients. If you have a lot of patience and perseverance, you can also grind the mint leaves with a mortar and pestle, which will intensify their flavor even more. Remove the stems from the tomatoes, quarter the tomatoes, and chop them individually in the processor. Be careful here; if you chop them too much, you’ll end up with juice and a very runny pesto. Alternatively, you can, of course, finely chop them with a knife. Combine all ingredients, then add olive oil while stirring until a creamy, liquid mixture forms. If the pesto is very runny, don’t worry; it will “dissipate” into the pasta later. Finally, season the pesto with pepper, sea salt, and chili. To serve, pour the pesto directly onto the hot pasta (fusilli is a good option) to allow the mint and garlic flavors to fully develop.