Boast of Italian traditional food: pesto alla genovese
Pesto alla genovese: the original recipe
A marvel of simplicity, pesto is a celebrated treasure of Mediterranean cuisine. If you’re lucky enough to experience this jewel of Liguria, sitting comfortably on the terrace of a local restaurant in any village by the sea, it would be unforgettable, dream-like even.
Ingredients
- 100 gr of fresh Genovese basil
- 30 gr pine nuts
- 60 gr aged Parmigiano Reggiano or Grana Padano cheese freshly grated, do not compromise on this ingredient and make sure is good quality
- 2 garlic cloves
- 10 gr Maldon flaky salt
- 80 cc extra virgin olive oil
How to make pesto alla genovese
The marble mortar and wooden pestle are traditional tools to make pesto. In other words, try to find one.
Firstly, wash the basil leaves in cold water and dry them on a paper towel but don’t rub them.
In a mortar finely crush the basil leaves the garlic clove and pine nuts. Add the salt and cheese to the mixture.
Secondly, keep pounding using a light circular movement of the pestle ,add some of the Extra Virgin Olive from time to time and keep pounding.
Keep on mixing until you obtain a very fine and smooth creamy sauce. For example, pesto should not be greasy and the amount of oil used must be well absorbed and not floating on top.
The preparation must be done, certainly, as quickly as possible to avoid oxidation problems.
You have now obtained less 300 grams of pesto which should be more than enough to dress 6 to 8 portions.
After that, you are ready to dress up your favorite pasta shape: Trenette, Linguine, Spaghetti or Trofie.
Let’s decorate your dish with a couple of basil leaves and few pine nuts on top, in addition.
Buon appetito!
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