Mandilli de saea with pesto in Sestri Levante.
Mandilli de saea, also known as mandilli al pesto, are a specialty of Ligurian cuisine, particularly in the area around Genoa. The term “mandilli” means “handkerchiefs” in Ligurian, and the dish takes its name from the shape of the sheets of pasta, thin as a silk handkerchief (saea, sea).
The recipe calls for the use of a pesto sauce, a traditional Ligurian condiment made with basil, pine nuts, garlic, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, pecorino cheese and extra virgin olive oil. The pesto sauce is prepared by crushing the ingredients together with a mortar and pestle, although today blenders or food processors are also often used.
The pasta for mandilli al pesto is homemade and must be rolled out very thin to obtain the consistency similar to a handkerchief. Once the pasta is prepared, it is cut into square or rectangular sheets of varying sizes.
The mandilli al pesto are then cooked in plenty of salted water and tossed with the pesto sauce just before serving. The thin pasta absorbs the delicious flavour of the pesto well, creating a dish that celebrates the freshness of the ingredients typical of the Liguria region.
This dish is an excellent representation of traditional Ligurian cuisine, with the pesto playing a central role and the mandilli providing a light and delicate texture. The simplicity of the ingredients and the mastery in the preparation make mandilli al pesto a dish appreciated not only in the region, but also in other parts of the world.

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Photo taken with Honor 20.

The dish was tasted in the restaurant of the Mira hotel in Sestri Levante: hotelmira.com.

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