Fettuccine with “rich” pesto (also called ” avvantaggiato”, or advantaged) is the ancient version of pasta with pesto that is commonly enjoyed in Liguria today. This recipe is made with potatoes, green beans and pesto. The addition of potatoes and green beans makes this dish truly appetizing, a real delight for those who love vegetarian dishes, including myself! The trick lies in the choice of fresh vegetables and homemade pesto (see lasagne al pesto); this naturally enhances the flavor and aroma of this meal. The pasta that I usually use is artisanal pasta, made with organic flour. I bought the one I used for this recipe in Tuscany during my summer vacation. The color and the taste is a little bit different (more rustic) from mass-produced pasta. The preparation of this recipe is simple, but requires some skill to cook the vegetables. The original recipe for rich pesto calls for cooking the vegetables with the pasta, but the cooking times are different, and therefore to facilitate the preparation, I recommend cooking them separately. You can cut the green beans into larger or smaller pieces, depending on your taste. Fettucine can be substituted with linguine, both of which complement the pesto very well. This dish is certainly a delicious primo piatto (first course) for a cozy dinner or piatto unico (main course) for lunch.
FETTUCCINE AL PESTO “RICCO”(FETTUCCINE WITH “RICH” PESTO)
Preparation time: 25 minutes Cooking time: 6 minutes Servings: 4 
INGREDIENTS
340 g (12 oz) fettuccine
2 medium potatoes
150 g (5 oz) fresh green beans
2 tablespoons olive oil (Extra Virgin)
4 tablespoons pesto
Salt pepper
Grated pecorino cheese
DIRECTIONS
1. Clean the beans by breaking off the ends and rinsing under running water. Boil in water or steam (even better). Drain when they are still crunchy. Keep warm
2. Wash the potatoes and cook in salted water or steam until they are tender. Allow to cool, peel, dice into 1.5 cm (1/2 in.) cubes. Keep warm
3. In a saucepan, bring 3 liters of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to the instructions on the package. Before draining the pasta, reserve about 60 ml (1/4 cup) of cooking water. Drain and pour into a serving dish, add the cooking water and season with olive oil, potatoes and green beans. Garnish with pesto and add some freshly-ground pepper to taste. You can also top with parmesan or pecorino cheese! – Paola
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I always enjoy pesto. I remember when it first became ALL THE RAGE here in the U.S. It was the early eighties, and to most Americans it was something new.. One began to see it in restaurants and homes everywhere. It made quite a splash. By the way, isn’t this just the perfect place for our favorite – oil from Liguria made from Taggiasca olives!
One thing struck me about this dish, and that is the genius that is the Italian way with vegetables. I do not know what it is like in Italian homes, but here in America moms are forever saying “I just can’t get my kids to eat vegetables.” If more moms served dishes like this, more kids would love their vegetables! Nice job, Paola!
Pesto is a delicious pasta sauce, my kids love it. The addition of vegetable makes this dish complete and healthy. Thanks Adri your comments are always so nice and rich of information. You are so competent about Italian food!!