Arugula Pesto (Italian)

Arugula (rocket) pesto, a delightful alternative to traditional basil pesto, stands out for its slightly peppery and stronger flavour. While wild arugula is more aromatic and pungent, cultivated rocket is preferred in this recipe due to its milder taste.

Apart from the addition of burrata, this spaccatelle pasta with sun-dried tomato pesto recipe is a very typical Sicilian dish. There are a number of Sicilian pesto recipes including pistachio pesto and pesto Trapanese. However, I think this is my new favourite. I’m a big sun-dried tomato fan. I just love the intense flavour they have and combining them with the garlic, pecorino, olive oil, pinenuts and almonds in this recipe really brings out the flavour.

The Pesto:
Sicily is well-known for the deliciousness of its tomatoes. In fact, Sicily produces more tomatoes than any other Italian region. There are a number of different tomato based pesto sauces eaten on the island. Some have cherry tomatoes, some vine tomatoes and some, like this recipe, sun-dried tomatoes. Also, the type of nuts used may vary. Sicily is famous for its pistachios so these are often added, as are almonds, walnuts or pinenuts. Not everyone toasts the nuts but I like to do this, as I think it brings out the flavour.

Lastly the cheese used in the different Sicilian pesto recipes is not always the same. Pesto Trapanese usually includes Sicilian pecorino, pesto alla Siciliana is made with ricotta and parmesan and some recipes for sun-dried tomato pesto don’t include any cheese at all. They also may or may not include basil. I put a little because the recipe I decided to follow included it.

The Burrata:
Burrata is not Sicilian. It comes from Puglia, where they also make sun-dried tomato pesto (but with oregano and capers). Burrata is usually made by hand. The outside of this cheese is mozzarella (It actually looks like a soft mozzarella ball) but the inside is made from stracciatella cheese and cream. It has a rich buttery flavour, hence the name burrata, Believe me when I say the combination of sun-dried tomatoes and burrata is to die-for. I often have them together on a pizza and, of course, it was divine with this sun-dried tomato pesto.

4-6 handfuls washed rocket or basil leaves (60-70g) y
2 oz Grana Padano or Parmigiano cheese, freshly grated (50 g)
1-2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
5-6 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 oz pinenuts, toasted (30 g)
sea salt
black pepper, freshly ground

Place the washed rocket or basil leaves into a food processor with the garlic and a little olive oil and pulse a few times.

Add the toasted pinenuts and grated cheese, season with pepper and salt as required and pulse one or twice again.

Remove from the food processor and more olive oil if necessary to get the consistency you require.

Makes 4 servings.

Cook’s Notes:

• You can mix ricotta into the pesto for a ravioli or cannelloni filling if you add enough ricotta.I also sometimes add a handful of chopped cherry tomatoes. Just cut the tomatoes in half and add them to the blender with the nuts. Rocket pesto (or basil) can also be eaten as a dip, on toasted bread, as part of a pizza topping or dolloped on baked potatoes. All delicious ways to serve pesto.
• You can keep the pesto in the fridge for up to a week if you keep it in a glass container with a lid and cover the surface with a thin layer of olive oil. (to prevent air getting to the leaves) You can also freeze it.
• To toast pinenuts, just dry fry them in a small frying pan for a couple of minutes. They brown quickly so keep an eye they don't burn.
• You can substitute half the rocket leaves with spinach for a different flavour.