Mario Batali's Pennette with Spicy Sicilian Pesto

Ingredients

Cooking Directions

Bring 8 quarts of water to a boil in a large pasta pot.

Place the basil, mint, garlic, chilies, red pepper flakes, fennel seeds, and almonds in a food processor and pulse three times to start the chopping process. Add in the oil in a thin stream and pulse four or five times to create a thick paste (not a thin, oily sauce). Add ¼ cup of the cheese and pulse once to mix it in. Season the pesto with salt if it needs it.

Place 1 cup of the pesto in a large warmed salad bowl.

Add 2 tablespoons salt to the boiling water. Drop the pennette into the water and cook for 1 minute less than the package instructions indicate. Just before it is done, carefully ladle ¼ cup of the cooking water into the bowl containing the pesto.

Drain the pasta in a colander, dump into the bowl. Toss it gently with the pesto, like tossing a salad, for about 30 seconds, until the pasta is nicely coated. Serve with a scant dusting to f the remaining cheese over each portion.

Recipe courtesy Molto Batali.

This recipe was styled by chef Karen Pickus for Good Morning America.