Pesto is a delicious cold sauce that goes very well with any pasta dish or can even accompany salads, eat it on top of toasted bread…..
It has a very fresh flavor thanks to its main ingredient: basil. The one with large edible leaves and not the one that is often used against mosquitoes in the pots of our balconies or gardens!!! In my opinion the mixture of this leaf of refreshing color and flavor together with the taste of pine nuts (or walnuts) turns this sauce into a delicacy with a delicate summer aroma !!! Although it is eaten all year round….
The cheese commonly used is Parmesan because it is more common here, however pecorino is the right cheese according to the real recipe originating from Genoa. A good olive oil is always essential as it is necessary to use a lot of it to preserve it and to make quantity. This sauce in fact keeps very well for several weeks thanks to the olive oil and the garlic.
I will give you the general ingredients but adding my own nuances to give you my own recipe…
Ingredients:
-30 basil leaves
-a good handful of pine nuts (25-30). since they are expensive there is no problem to replace the pine nuts with walnuts or almonds.
-100 ml of olive oil (or more….yo I put it until it covers the sauce to keep it in the fridge for several days and thus have it ready to use with various recipes other than pasta).
-1 clove of garlic (sometimes I don’t add it because it makes it heavier in flavor but for those who like it strong, add the garlic)
– pecorino cheese (or parmesan)
Wash the leaves and dry them well. Peel the garlic. Grate the cheese. I’ll explain the quick way: put all the ingredients together in a blender (except the cheese) and grind. When you have made a green paste, pour into a bowl and add olive oil to cover the sauce. Season with salt and add the grated cheese at the end.
The slow way is to crush in a mortar the basil together with the garlic, then the pine nuts (or walnuts…) and the olive oil. While you are turning the mixture in the mortar, the ingredients are amalgamated until a paste is formed. Once you have reached this point, pour it into a bowl and add more olive oil and grated cheese and add salt.
It is wonderful! Delizioso!!!
