Italian summer recipes: pasta with potatoes and pesto

Italian pasta recipes can get creative and while it might seem like a strange combination to some, there is more than one example in Italy of pasta and potato served together.
As summer in Italy approaches and we’re in a heat wave right now, pasta is still a great dish to serve as long as you keep it light.

This fresh, summer feeling and experimental dish uses the traditional Italian product of pesto sauce, with linguine and potatoes.

For four people, you’ll need: 300 gr of linguine, 300 gr of broad beans, 300 gr of potatoes, one large bunch of basil, one bunch of rocket lettuce, two tablespoons of pistachio nuts, one clove of garlic, four tablespoons of grated pecorino cheese, extra virgin olive oil and salt and pepper.
Wash and clean the rocket and basil, peel the garlic clobe and put it through a food processor with the pistachios and some salt and pepper.

Add the basil and rocket and mix again.
Blanche the broad beans slightly in some boiling salty water and take off the skin.
Peel and chop the potatoes and boil for ten minutes.

Boil the linguine pasta with the broad beans in some water, drain but keep the water aside.
Toss the pesto sauce through the pasta and add some of the water if it’s too dry.
As a last flourish, add the pecorino cheese and serve.
This would do with a nice bottle of Italian white wine, possibly from the Liguria region as this regional cuisine is home to the pesto sauce.