Linguini Fini Genovese

Calling all pesto lovers! Mario Batali has a great pasta recipe using pesto called Trenette Genovese in his cookbook Molto Italiano: 327 Simple Italian Recipes to Cook at Home. The pasta calls for trenette or liguini fini pasta, pesto, green beans or haricots verts, and new potatoes or small red potatoes. The description says that "the potatoes serve to soak up the driblets of oil from the pesto and the beans add a delightful crunch and a counterpoint of sweetness."

To be honest, I'm not sure what the difference between green beans and haricots verts are but I used green beans. I also chose linguini fini for the pasta and red potatoes. The key to crunchy green beans is blanching, so I got an ice bath ready! This pasta was great because of the bright and crispy green beans, the hearty potatoes that indeed soaked up the oil from the pesto, and, of course, the pesto itself.