Paccheri with pistachio pesto, sausage, and provola

To make paccheri with pistachio pesto, sausage, and provola, first prepare the pistachio pesto: bring a small pot of water to a boil, add the shelled pistachios 1 and blanch them for a minute, just enough time to soften the skin. Drain the pistachios 2 on a clean cloth, then rub them to remove the skin 3.

Set aside some chopped pistachios for decoration and transfer the rest to a mortar 4. Add the basil leaves, previously washed and dried 5, and crush with the pestle to make a paste 6.

Add the oil 7, pepper, and a splash of cold water 8, then crush again until you get a soft and creamy mixture 9. Adjust the salt to taste.

Meanwhile, put a pot of water on to boil for the pasta; once boiling, salt the water and cook the paccheri for 13 minutes 10. Meanwhile, cut the provola into cubes of about 0.6 inches 11. Remove the casing from the sausage, then cut it into pieces and form small balls 12.

Brown the sausage in a large pan with a drizzle of oil 13, then deglaze with the white wine 14. Once the pasta is cooked, drain the paccheri and transfer them to the pan 15.

Add a few ladles of cooking water 16 and finish cooking the pasta for a couple of minutes. Turn off the heat, then add the pistachio pesto 17 and the provola cubes 18.

Mix well to combine everything 19, then plate. Garnish with the chopped pistachios kept aside 20 and scent with a few basil leaves. Your paccheri with pistachio pesto, sausage, and provola are ready to be served 21!