Foglie d’Ulivo with Basil Pesto
Foglie d’Ulivo is such a fun new shape to make with only three ingredients, semolina, water and spinach; plus look at that color! They are the delicate cousin to orecchiette and look like little ‘olive leaves.’ If you don’t have spinach, you can use any other tender green, just make sure to remove any ribs or hard stems before blanching. And if you didn’t want to dye the dough just omit the spinach and use 2/3 cup water along with the semolina.
Ingredients
- 8 oz bag of fresh baby spinach
- 2 cups semolina flour
- 1/3 cup water
Basil Pesto
- 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
- 3-4 garlic cloves
- 2 1/2 cups basil leaves
- 1/2 cup parmigiano reggiano
- 3/4 cup olive oil
- salt and black pepper
Directions
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Blanch the spinach for just about 20 seconds until it’s vibrant green. Remove from the water and shock in ice water or run under cold water. Then place into the blender with about 1/3 cup of water and run until the puree is smooth.
Pour the semolina into a large bowl and create a well in the center. Pour the spinach puree into the center. Use a fork and gently start incorporating the two together. It will be shaggy at first and then use your hands to knead it together for about 2 minutes, until it forms a smooth ball. Cover with plastic wrap or towel and let rest for 20 minutes while you make the pesto.
For the sauce– Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Toast the pine nuts on a dry pan in the oven for about 7 minutes until golden. Let cool. In a food processor with a metal blade attachment, combine the garlic and pine nuts (reserve a handful of pine nuts for garnish), and pulse until coarsely chopped. Then, add in the basil and cheese, and then, with the motor running, pour in the olive oil and process until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
To form the pasta, cut the dough into quarters, and work with only one at a time and rewrap the other quarters. Roll into a long rope about 1/4 inch thick. Then cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces. Roll the ends of each piece so they taper off on the ends using your index and middle finger. To form the pasta, place a piece in front of you vertically and hold the butter knife almost parallel to the surface and gently drag the dough horizontally across the surface. Hold the starting point as you go so it doesn’t slip away. Place on a floured sheet pan and continue with the rest.
Once all the pasta is shaped, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
Cook the pasta in batches until it floats about 30 seconds. Toss with the pesto in a large bowl and garnish with the remaining toasted pine nuts, parmesan and basil leaves.
