Southern Italian Pesto

Southern Italian pesto sauces are spicy, salty and sweet and this pesto recipe takes all those flavors from local ingredients like raisins, anchovies and capers to create this amazing sauce.

Other local ingredients like almonds which take the place of the pine nut create a real "to the tooth" crunch and bold flavor, and parsley instead of basil pull this pasta sauce recipe all together.

Southern Italians love it spicy and you'll rarely find a Italian recipe in that region without at least a few crushed red peppers in it. They omit the perfect amount of heat just as they do in this pesto recipe.

You'll be amazingly surprised by the crazy flavors that will take turns tantalizing your taste buds. You'll feel each sweet, tangy then salty, spice dancing on your tongue.

So if you have an eclectic palate like I do, you are going to love this easy pesto pasta sauce recipe.

Southern Italian Pesto Ingredients:

• ¼ cup boiling water
• ¼ cup golden raisins
• 2 tbsp capers
• 1-2 tbsp blanched almonds
• 1 cup fresh Italian parsley (leaves only)
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
• 2 Anchovies
• 1 Tbsp diced shallots
• ¼ tsp crushed red peppers
• olive oil
• salt to taste

Southern Italian Pesto Preparation:

Combine boiling water and raisins in a small bowl and let stand for 30 minutes, then drain.

Excluding the olive oil (I mean do NOT add the olive oil yet), put all the following ingredients, capers, Italian parsley, lemon rind, anchovies, shallots and the drained golden raisins, in a food processor and blend on chop until until coarsely blended.

Scrap the mixture out of the food processor into a bowl. Gently stir in the olive oil while staring with a spoon or fork. Add as much as you like but don't make it to liquid or oily.

Gently sprinkle with crushed red pepper to add the perfect amount of heat. Southern Italian viagra…

To serve this pesto sauce you need to mix it with any freshly made and drained pasta while it's hot and then serve. But hold the parmigiano! This pesto pasta is typically not served with cheese and if you ever have the pleasure of eating this in Italy, don’t be surprised if they snub their noses if you ask for it. Italians are extremely particular about how they serve their food. In other words, “Don’t Mess With It!”.

This is a Sicilian pesto treat you won't forget!

Vivere, Amare, Ridere e Mangiare Bene, Kira Volpi

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