Conchiglie al Pesto Rosso -- Shells with Red Pesto

Though people commonly associate the word pesto with the green garlic-and-basil sauce from Liguria, the word derives from the verb pestare, to step on or grind, and therefore applies to any sauce made from ground ingredients. In this case, sun-dried tomatoes and almonds, which will balance each other quite well. The recipe is drawn from an old issue of an Italian cooking magazine, and they say it's a dish husbands can easily learn to make while they wives are off at the beach (with the kids, perhaps) during the summer. To serve 4 you'll need:

• 3/4 pound (320 g) small pasta shells
• 2 eggs
• 12 sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, drained
• 2 ounces (50 g, drained weight) canned tuna packed in oil, drained and shredded
• 12 basil leaves, shredded, plus more for garnishing
• 2 ounces (50 g) peeled almonds
• Half a clove of garlic
• 10 parsley sprigs
• Extravirgin olive oil
• Salt

Begin by cooking the pasta in abundant salted water. Drain it when it reaches the al dente stage, cool it quickly by running it under cold water, and put it into a bowl, stirring a tablespoon of olive oil into it to keep their pieces from sticking.

Toast the almonds for a few minutes over a low flame. Drop them into a mixer, together with the sun-dried tomatoes, the basil, the parsley, the garlic, and 4 tablespoons of olive oil. Blend, check seasoning, and transfer the sauce to a bowl. Cover it and chill it.

In the meantime, hard-boil the eggs by immersing them in cold water, turning the burner on, and simmering them for 8 minutes from when the water comes to a boil. Shell them and slice them when they're cool enough to handle.

Season the pasta with the sauce and the tuna, dot it with the sliced hard-boiled egg, garnish it with a few more basil leaves, and serve.

A printer-friendly version of this recipe.
Other pasta salads

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