Trofie with Basil and Cilantro Pesto
Serves 4
Substitutions are tricky things. Mess with a recipe too much, and
you lose the initial spark that makes it great. So I offer one
substitution here: instead of the garlic scapes* Clark uses when
she makes this pesto (which only come around a few months out
of the year), try basil and garlic cloves. As for the pasta, stick to
Clark’s suggested trofie, a tightly wound corkscrew of a pasta that
catches the pesto in a really glorious way. If you want to
substitute something else, choose another pasta with lots of nooks
to catch the garlicky green pesto (orecchiette will work). Whatever
you do, don’t skip the cilantro: its presence is what makes this
dish truly unique.FOR THE PESTO
½ cup pine nuts*, toasted in a dry pan until golden and
fragrant
6 cloves garlic, roughly chopped*
4 to 6 cups basil leaves, washed, dried, and loosely packed
1 cup cilantro leaves, washed and dried
Kosher salt
About 1 cup olive oil
Juice of ½ lemon