Blanch & peel the tomatoes (optional): Fill a medium-sized pot ¾ of the way with water. Set it over high heat and let the water come to a low boil. While that’s happening get out a medium-sized bowl and fill it halfway with ice water. Once the water in your pot is hot dump in the tomatoes and let them cook for roughly 20 to 30 seconds or until their skins begin to crack. Use a slotted spoon to remove the tomatoes from the pot and transfer them to your bowl of ice water. Once the tomatoes are cool to the touch you can take them out and remove their skins.

Process the ingredients: Get out a food processor (or you can use a motor & pestle and make this the old fashioned way) and place the salt and garlic in it. Then process/grind these two ingredients until it forms a smooth paste. Next, add in the almonds and process/grind with the garlic and salt until they have a texture similar to bread crumbs. Finally, add in the tomatoes and basil leaves, and process/grind these ingredients until everything is broken down into a rough paste.

Finish the pesto sauce: Transfer the processed/ground ingredients to a medium sized bowl. Add the cheese, pour in the ¼ cup of olive oil, and crack a little black pepper into the bowl. Stir all of the ingredients together until thoroughly incorporated. Finally taste the pesto and add in additional salt and pepper if you feel it needs it.

Transfer your pesto alla trapanese into a jar and store in your fridge until needed.

Use the pesto with pasta: Cook whatever pasta you like in a pot of boiling water until it is al dente. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta water then drain the cooked pasta in a colander. Transfer the cooked pasta to a mixing bowl and add roughly 2 to 3 tablespoons of pesto for every 2oz. of dried pasta you have cooked. Add a splash (roughly 1 tablespoon of the reserved pasta water to the bowl and use a spoon to mix everything together. The starch in the pasta water will help to thicken the sauce. So keep mixing and adding splashes of pasta water until the pesto sauce becomes silky and coats every piece of pasta. You most likely won’t need the whole 1 cup of pasta water.

Portion the pasta to individual plates and enjoy immediately.