Pair pesto with a dry, savoury white wine from Liguria, such as Vermentino or Pigato.
If you prefer red wine, you can choose a delicate Ligurian wine like Rossese di Dolceacqua.
Difficulty: easy
Method: 5
Difficulty: easy
Method: 5
Remove germ from garlic
Combine garlic and coarse salt in mortar
Begin grinding to form a garlic paste
Add pine nuts
Continue grinding to crush pine nuts
Add basil a little at a time
Grind well so it begins to break down
Add Parmigiano and Pecorino
Add extra virgin olive oil, not all at once but a little at a time
Stop grinding once pesto is creamy
Remove germ from garlic
Combine garlic and coarse salt in food processor
Add basil
Aggiungete parmigiano e pecorino
Add Parmigiano and Pecorino
Add a little bit of extra virgin olive oil, just enough to facilitate processing
Turn on food processor
Add oil a little at a time
Pair pesto with a dry, savoury white wine from Liguria, such as Vermentino or Pigato.
If you prefer red wine, you can choose a delicate Ligurian wine like Rossese di Dolceacqua.
Pesto takes little time to prepare and has no steps that can be completed in advance.
If you make the pesto with a mortar and pestle, do not pound the leaves hard but gently rotate the pestle along the walls of the mortar, so as to tear them up without crushing them. This is the best way to release the basil’s fragrance.
If you are using a food processor, you can avoid the pesto darkening from overheating by refrigerating the processor’s bowl and blades for a few hours beforehand. When you begin processing, pulse the ingredients often and for a few seconds at a time. Add the oil as soon as possible, as it prevents the pesto from oxidising.
Never heat pesto, it is not a sauce that should be cooked.
Under no circumstances should you add butter, cream, or any fat other than extra virgin olive oil!
You can keep pesto in the refrigerator for a few days.
If you are freezing the pesto, it is better to do so before adding the cheeses. Remember to incorporate them when preparing to serve it.
If you want to freeze it, divide the pesto into individual portions among small glass jars and immediately put them in the freezer. To use it, remove pesto from the freezer a few hours beforehand and then refresh it with a little extra virgin olive oil.
Though popular throughout Italy, basil pesto originated in Liguria, where it is made with:
Genovese basil PDO
Vessalico garlic
Taggiasca extra virgin olive oil
Parmigiano-Reggiano or Grana Padano
Pecorino Fiore Sardo PDO
If you cannot get these ingredients, be sure to use:
Basil, ideally with small leaves
A delicately flavoured garlic
A mild extra virgin olive oil without an overpowering flavour
A non-Sardinian Pecorino which is still Italian, such as Roman or Tuscan Pecorino
Nowadays you will often find basil pesto made without garlic, for those avoiding digestive upset. In the interest of maintaining the balance of flavours, it would be preferable to use less garlic without completely eliminating it.
60 g basil leaves
50 g Parmigiano Reggiano, grated
30 g Pecorino Fiore Sardo, grated
30 g pine nuts
1 clove garlic
2 g coarse salt
70 g Ligurian extra virgin olive oil
Pair pesto with a dry, savoury white wine from Liguria, such as Vermentino or Pigato.
If you prefer red wine, you can choose a delicate Ligurian wine like Rossese di Dolceacqua.