Trottole Trapanese
This is a pasta post, based on my discovering the cutest twirly pasta ever, called Trottole. I purchased the spinach variety, for color.
As is my pattern, apparently, I purchase a unique pasta, then figure out what sauce to put on it. For the trottole, I decided to again make a Sicilian sauce that I made once and fell in love with!
This sauce is so crazy wonderful and different than anything I’ve ever come across on other food blogs, that you folks need to discover it, too. So here it is again.
The sauce, called Pesto Trapenese, is an uncooked, Tunisian-influenced tomato sauce, that originated in Trapani, Sicily. The sauce is ready before the pasta has finished cooking. I discovered it in Nigella Lawson’s cookbook called Nigellissima.
Ms. Lawson uses fusilli lunghi when she makes Pesto Trapanese, otherwise called telephone cords, but I think these trottole will be a perfect substitute.
Trottole Trapanese
Or, Sicilian Pasta with Tomatoes, Almonds, and Garlic
1 pound fusilli lunghi (or other pasta of your choice)
salt for pasta water (to taste)
9 ounces cherry tomatoes
6 anchovy fillets
1 ounce golden sultanas
2 cloves garlic (peeled)
2 tablespoons capers (drained)
2 ounces blanched almonds
2 ounces extra virgin olive oil
Parmesan
1 small bunch fresh basil (approx. 20g / 1 cup, to serve)
Cayenne pepper flakes
Put abundant water on to boil for the pasta, waiting for it to come to the boil before salting it. Add the pasta and cook according to packet instructions, though start checking it a good 2 minutes before it’s meant to be ready.
While the pasta is cooking, make the sauce by putting all of the 7 ingredients through the olive oil into a processor and blitzing until you have a nubbly-textured sauce.
Tip the drained pasta into your warmed serving bowl. Pour and scrape the sauce on top, tossing to coat (add a little more pasta-cooking water if you need it).
Serve immediately and strew with basil leaves.
Grated Parmesan and cayenne pepper flakes are optional.
I’m so in love with the trottole. And they hold their shape beautifully.
And you can bet I’ll keep making pesto Trapanese. At first you taste the bite from the garlic, then the saltiness from the anchovies, then the tang from the capers, and then some raisin sweetness, and finally, the texture from the almonds. The tomatoes are hardly noticeable, yet provide a good base for the goodies.
Try this sauce!!!
Trottole with Pesto Trapanese
Or, Sicilian Pasta with Tomatoes, Almonds, and Garlic
500 grams fusilli lunghi (or other pasta of your choice)
salt for pasta water (to taste)
250 grams cherry tomatoes
6 anchovy fillets
25 grams golden sultanas
2 cloves garlic (peeled)
2 tablespoons capers (drained)
50 grams blanched almonds
60 millilitres extra virgin olive oil
1 small bunch fresh basil (approx. 20g / 1 cup, to serve)
Put abundant water on to boil for the pasta, waiting for it to come to the boil before salting it. Add the pasta and cook according to packet instructions, though start checking it a good 2 minutes before it’s meant to be ready.
While the pasta is cooking, make the sauce by putting all the remaining ingredients, bar the basil, into a processor and blitzing until you have a nubbly-textured sauce.
Just before draining the pasta, remove a cupful of pasta-cooking water and add 2 tablespoonfuls of it down the funnel of the processor, pulsing as you go.
Tip the drained pasta into your warmed serving bowl. Pour and scrape the sauce on top, tossing to coat (add a little more pasta-cooking water if you need it) and strew with basil leaves.
About the Author: Chef Mimi
I love cooking with a variety of pasta shapes! This is one I haven’t tried but will rectify soon! The pesto trapanese looks absolutely delicious and makes a perfect summertime meal!
The sauce is so unique and delicious I could spread it on bread and eat it. Actually, that’s a good idea! The pasta is a fun shape and sturdy.
The sauce sounds incredible, love the sultanas and almonds with anchovies and capers. A must try! Thank you.
You definitely must. You’ll be so happy!
Thanks for posting this! I love Nigella, but don’t have this book. The sweet salty pairing of anchovies and sultanas sounds wonderful.
You MUST try it!!!
Great to learn about another type of pasta. Love the sauce ingredients. :)
Have you ever heard of this sauce? I’ve made it 4 times since discovering it – incredible. (It’s rare that I repeat a recipe once!)
I make spaghetti with anchovies, raisins, capers and toasted breadcrumbs quite often. However, I don’t puree or add tomatoes to it. This version looks very tasty. I plan to give this version a try soon. :)
So hunting down this cute pasta!!!!!
Hope you find it!!!
It’s better than perfect – out of this world!!!
I must find that pasta! I love that it’s the curliest and twirliest of all :-)
And it really held its shape!
The flavor is this pasta dish sounds amazing! We eat tons of rotini around here, but I’m hoping I can find some trotolle so I can make it with this dish!
Just try the sauce with rotini – you’ll just love its uniqueness!
I wouldn’t consider parmesan and pepper flakes optional! :) This looks delicious.
Me, neither.
Trapanese pesto is my favorite. Lovely recipe!
You’re the first person I’ve come across who’s had it! So incredible.
Oh yes I even posted something “vaguely” inspired on the blog waaaay back when I just started. It is a great dish
What a cute little noodle! And the sauce you topped it with sounds yummy! :)
It’s really extraordinary. You should try it!
I just might! 😁
The sauce sounds tasty – I only need some anchovy, then I can start :)
Buy some! You must try this sauce. I’ve made it at least four times, and I rarely make the same thing twice. It’s that good. Of course, I can’t make it for my husband because he doesn’t like anchovies.
I will! Weekend is coming, so I have time :)
I am going to make this sauce soon, it reminds me a little of a romesco sauce I absolutely love and make all the time.
Although without roasted red bell peppers, right? It’s just so unique I can’t wait for you to try it!
I just made it for dinner and it is absolutely delicious. Since there is only two of us I used half the noodles ( Garo Galo Italian pasta ) but I followed the recipe for the sauce. It made three generous servings.
I’m so glad you tried it. It’s so unique and addicting! I ate some leftovers cold even!
Oh yum. And some absolutely beautiful food photography Mimi!
Oh that’s so sweet Jodi! Thank you!
Oh my god I’m so excited for you to make this! I can’t describe how unique and wonderful it is. You must taste it!!! Follow the recipe! (I only say that because I always do my own thing with recipes, but this is one where the ratios are so important for all the flavors and textures to shine!)
Love the pasta shape. We are off to Sicily in September so I’m sure Dave will try the trapanese while we are there.
It’s not your cup of tea, so to speak?!!
Not sure so I will let him try it first 😂
I am loving the idea of a no cook sauce, it means it gets in my stomach quicker!
Try it Emma – You will love it! Well, you have to love all of the ingredients, but it’s so unique and delicious.
Incredible is an understatement.
You love different pasta shapes as much as I do! The sauce sounds really flavorful and no-cook is perfect for summer.
It is perfect for summer. I even ate leftovers cold!
The trottole look like a shortened version of busiate. The pesto alla trapanese I know does not include anchovies, but there are always many varations of traditional Italian recipes. You had seen pesto alla trapanese before on a blog: https://stefangourmet.com/2013/05/25/busiate-alla-trapanese/
No, I hadn’t! I think I would have remembered it. I’ll check it out !
You’re right! I must not have looked at the ingredients, which doesn’t seem like me, but I didn’t remember, obviously. Isn’t it the best sauce ever?
I hope I see trottole in Sicily this fall!
I hope you can eat the pesto Trapanese!
Interesting! So it’s similar to a pesto, but with so much more going on. And indeed, that is absolutely an amazing pasta shape! I’ll bet this is delicious.
Ways more going on. You should definitely try it!
I love pasta alla Trapanese, which I enjoyed a lot while in Trapani, Sicily. I’m sure the pasta you tried goes well with the sauce!
It’s an incredible sauce, isn’t it?!! I must get myself to Sicily. My father’s family is from there but I’ve not visited yet.
Visit the island someday and enjoy the fabulous food!
It’s on our list!
Mimi.. u MUST go! even by Italian standards, Sicily is really special and the food is amazing. there is a good netflix documentary (chef’s table) about Caffè Sicilia in Noto, owned by super pastry chef Corrado Assenza. The next best thing would be to buy the old Mary Tyler Simeti’s book (if u don’t have it yet) and cook IT from A to Z.
NIGELLISSIMA: good book from a clever woman – her personal take of Italian food that still feels pretty authentic.. and yes, pesto alla trapanese is remarkable
ciao, stefano
The sauce is so unique and exceptional. Do try it.
This pasta sauce sounds like a winner! I haven’t seen that pasta shape and hope I can find it, here.
The pasta shape is great, but the sauce is even better!
The pasta shape AND the pesto are both new to me! Sounds like one delicious meal!
I strongly encourage you to try the sauce! Amazing.
You are so right – what cute little pasta twirls! :) And what a fabulous sauce you put together. Looks quite complementary to the pasta.
The sauce is so delicious – you should try it!
Pesto alla trapanese is listed as a traditional Italian food product (P.A.T.) by the Ministry of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Policies no less ! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pesto_alla_trapanese
Love Nigella to bits, chef Mimi, and I am sure your pasta recipe is delicious so am not questoning that. But I do, yes, want to point out that il pesto trapanese has nothing to do with Tunisia and with Genoa instead. And that it does not contemplate raisins or anchovies or, shudder for a Sicilian, parmesan (I suppose we could think of this as a vegan recipe). If any cheese is to be added it would be the local Sicilian pecorino. Repeat: do not want to draw away from your recipe one iota, variety is the spice of life and all that, and people can eat what they jolly well like.
But when it comes to nomenclature and Italian cuisine the Italian in me likes the name of a recipe to reflect what that recipe is supposed to be like. I admit that I am a bit ‘prissy’. I realise, also, that this ‘prissiness’ is often difficult for non-Italians to understand so I hope I haven’t irritated you too much. It’s not that I am a bitch, it’s that I like things to be known. (It’s a bit like when non-Italians order a cappuccino at the end of a meal. Italians find that truly perplexing. Because cappuccino is basically a breakfast drink. It’s a cultural ‘thing’, not a food ingredient thing. And expats or tourists visiting Italy can’t understand why it should be verboten, to them a cappuccino to finish off a meal seems totally appropriate. It took me many years but I finally came up with a metaphor that goes something like this. If one had a perfectly good three-course meal including dessert, would it be ‘normal’ to be served a bowl of breakfast cereal to finish off said meal? Something like that …. ). Buona giornata Mimi! :)
It’s just really good!
I totally know what you mean about fun pasta shapes, Mimi! In fact, I have a pantry full of unique pastas…whenever I stumble across one, I grab it and then figure out later how to actually use it. I don’t believe I’ve come across trottole before, but I will definitely keep an eye out for it now! Sounds like a delicious dish!
Exactly! Different pasta shapes are just so much fun. This sauce is really good – you should try it if you’re comfortable with all of the ingredients. (I know anchovies freak some people out!)
It definitely does. You should try the sauce!
looks wonderful Good ol NIgella:) BTW did you do your banner? It’s great. cheers sherry
No, a friend of my daughter’s did it as a design for notepads years ago when they were in college. When I started my blog I asked her if I could use it for my blog. I have the same little black dog, but I asked her to add bangs to my hair!!! Thanks!