Trofie al pesto

Trofie are short hand-rolled twists of flour and water, no egg, native to the stretch of Ligurian coast around Recco and Sori. They are rolled against a board with the side of the palm so each one tapers at both ends and carries a spiral groove down its length, which is the whole point: pesto is a loose, oily sauce with nothing to thicken it, and it needs a shape with grooves to cling to. Pesto genovese is basil, pine nuts, garlic, coarse salt, Ligurian olive oil and two cheeses rather than one, Parmigiano Reggiano together with a sheep's milk Fiore Sardo or pecorino. The basil that matters is the small-leafed Genovese variety, and the plants grown in the Prà district west of Genoa are the reference point, gentler and less minty than basil grown further south.