When one hears the word pesto, immediately, the thought goes to Liguria. The Amalfi Coast also has its pesto, better known as Pesto Amalfitano. It is a recipe in high demand and appreciated by Pineta 1903 customers. 

“Our pesto,” says Carlo De Filippo, owner of the restaurant, “is our creation and is made with citrus fruits from the Coast. It was born from a request I made to Chef Provino Milo.” 

Something new, something good

Innovation is closely linked to curiosity, the desire to experiment, and the desire to have fun. With these premises, a special recipe was born precisely at Pineta 1903: Linguine al Pesto Amalfitano.

“Many foreign tourists,” the owner continues, “would ask me for spaghetti with lemon. Since I didn’t feel like offering a banal tourist dish, I asked the chef to develop a pesto with characteristics in line with our style, and out came Pesto Amalfitano (registered trademark). We combine it with bronze-drawn linguine di Gragnano.” 

The recipe 

So don’t expect the classic flavor of ordinary pesto: Pineta 1903’s recipe does not call for pesto garlic or pine nuts. We bring it to you below:

100 g of lemon peels

80 g of orange peels

120 g grated parmesan or grana cheese

100 g chopped almonds

300 g of extra virgin olive oil

Salt to taste. 

Preparation:

Extract 100 grams of peel from an untreated, organic lemon, taking only the yellow part (the white makes it bitter). Do the same operation for the orange peel. In the glass of a blender, the blades have been previously placed in the freezer. Place the lemon peels, orange, Parmesan, almonds, and extra-virgin olive oil and blend until smooth.

If necessary, drizzle in more oil. Adjust salt and store in the refrigerator.

With the pasta

Drop the linguine in plenty of salted water drain when al dente. Allow to amalgamate with the pesto over low heat—plate with a grating of fresh lemon and lemon thyme. 

*read more in the book “Bell’e Buono” by Carlo De Filippo.