A’ Nonna Lombardo’s Bucatini Pistachio Pesto con Gamberi

At Mamma Mia Two, Ristorante Italiano in Homestead, FL, restaurateurs Maria and Roberto Lombardo have satisfied their loyal clientele for decades. Maria says that at home, the aroma of sauteing shrimp with garlic and onion, along with freshly blended pesto, remind them of their hometown of Palermo, Sicily, and especially Roberto’s paternal grandmother, A’ Nonna Lombardo, who taught them to make this dish!

Ingredients:

• ¹⁄³ cup shelled pistachio nuts
• 2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
• ¼ cup Parmigiano Reggiano
• ¼ cup pecorino
• ½ cup Fall Harvest Extra Virgin Olive Oil Salt to taste
• 2 tablespoons Fall Harvest Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
• 32 large shrimp, shelled & deveined
• 1 pound dry bucatini pasta

Instructions:

In a food processor, chop nuts finely. Add basil, parmigiano and pecorino and blend. With processor on low speed, add olive oil slowly until a liquid paste is formed. If desired, salt to taste. In a medium sauté pan, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic clove and the finely chopped onion; sauté until golden color. Remove garlic clove. Add shrimp. Add salt to taste. Cook until pink and set aside.

Boil 8 quarts of water. Add salt to taste. Add bucatini pasta and cook until al dente. Strain and reserve 1/2 cup of cooking water. Mix pistachio pesto with shrimp on low heat and toss in strained pasta. Use reserved water from cooking to loosen pesto and cover pasta evenly. Remove from heat. Pesto should be creamy. Finish with a drizzle of olive oil. Serves 4.

About Gamberi

Gamberi (gahm-berry) or prawns have been a staple of La Cucina Siciliana for centuries. Prized is an especially sweet red variety which come from as deep as 2,000 feet below the surface of the Mediterranean!