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Imagine the pestle crushing fresh basil in a stone mortar… and it all begins there.
Welcome to Liguria.
Here, trofie al pesto genovese verde are not just pasta.
They are gestures. A memory. A way of living the table.
La Dolce Vita comes into your kitchen.
Simple, but never ordinary.
If cuisine tells a culture, then this one speaks with an Italian accent impossible to forget.
“Every bite of trofie with pesto brings you back to Liguria. Imagine the Cinque Terre, suspended between sea and rock, where every alley seems to tell a story.
In the trattorie, dishes arrived simple, yet perfect. Because true Italian luxury is this: flavor, time, and smiles shared around a table.”
— Casa Bandera, from our Famiglia to yours
Genovese pesto verde: a signature of Genoa
Pesto Genovese is not just another sauce.
It is a deep symbol of Liguria.
It brings together few ingredients, each with a precise role:
fresh basil, pine nuts, cheese, olive oil.
The result is a silky, green, almost living texture.
If a dish could embody Italian hospitality, wouldn’t this be it?
Because everything begins with the gesture.
Slow. Precise.
Almost ceremonial.
A tradition to discover through an unforgettable Italian experience at home
In Genoa, the word “pestare” means to slowly crush in a mortar.
No heat.
No rush.
Only respect for the ingredients.
Since the 19th century, the recipe has remained unchanged:
basil, garlic, pine nuts, aged cheeses.
A simple base, but an almost ritual execution.
At Casa Bandera, this gesture comes from the nonna, passed down as a living heritage.
And what if cooking became a new way of hosting?
This is exactly what is explored in Italian table art: rules and decoration.
Here, the table is not decoration.
It is a language.
Everything is intentional, yet nothing is fixed.
To go further, also discover how to plan an Italian dinner from A to Z.
Because an Italian dinner is not endured…
it is composed, lived, and shared.
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Information |
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Difficulty 2/5 Cost low Preparation time 10 minutes Cooking time 10 minutes Gluten |
Portions 4 Calories 820 kcal Utensils saucepan, blender or mortar, scissors Seasons spring, summer |
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Ingredients |
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Trofie 500 g Basil 70 g Parmesan cheese 50 g Pecorino romano 30 g Pine nuts 30 g Garlic 1 clove Extra virgin olive oil 70 mL Stracciatella 2 Dried tomatoes 4 Salt and pepper |
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1 Wash basil leaves and branches in cold water to remove soil. You can use the basil leaves and branches for the recipe. Keep a few pine nuts to decorate the final dish.
2 Pour the parmesan, pecorino cheese (preferably in pieces), garlic clove, pine nuts and basil into a blender. Finally, pour in the olive oil.
3 Blend the ingredients until you achieve a smooth and creamy sauce.
4 Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Once boiling, pour in the trofie and cook according to package instructions.
5 Pour a ladleful of pasta cooking water into the blender containing the pesto. Blend again to combine.
6 Drain the trofie and return them to the large saucepan. Add the pesto sauce and stir. Wait 1 minute for the sauce to soak into the pasta.
7 Serve your trofie al pesto genovese in pasta plates. Garnish with stracciatella, pine nuts and pieces of sun-dried tomato cut into strips with scissors. Finally, season with pepper.
Recommended Italian wine pairing?
To enhance the delicate flavors of trofie with genovese pesto, I recommend a Vermentino di Sardegna, whose freshness and citrus aromas are a perfect match for this traditional dish.
Discover my selection of Italian wine pairings.
Buon Appetito !
Also read: The Art of Italian Hosting: The Complete Guide to Creating Unforgettable Dinner Parties
Our 10 Golden Rules for Hosting Italian-Style with Ease
Let’s talk together!