One of the most famous and easiest recipes in Italy, loved and cherished by both locals and tourists is the pesto sauce. Even though it’s known as pesto genovese (Genoa’s pesto), you can find it in pretty much every restaurant in the Liguria region and in most restaurants across Italy.
Apart from being easy to make, the original pesto sauce is cheap, quick, versatile, and packed with flavor.
Pesto sauce ingredients – Tips
- The basil. The best type of basil for the original pesto sauce is the Genoese basil, the one with small leaves. Obviously, if you can’t find it, that’s fine, your pesto will still be delicious. But if you have the option, do pick this one because the result will be closer to the Italian food. Also, the basil should be young and fresh, please do not use the dried herb as that would just not be pesto.
- The oil. I’m afraid the only ideal type of oil for the original pesto sauce recipe is a good extra virgin olive oil, better if organic and cold-pressed.
- The cheese. The ideal cheese to be used for a nice and delicate pesto sauce is the original Parmigiano Reggiano. If you like a stronger taste, you can make two-thirds Parmigiano and one-third Pecorino. I don’t think cheddar cheese can make a nice pesto.
- The garlic. This is a fully raw recipe so also the garlic needs to be raw. If you have a hard time digesting it, I suggest removing the sprout in the middle.
Pesto sauce instructions – Tips
Obviously, the best and most traditional way to make pesto sauce is by preparing it manually with a mortar or a knife. This, however, can make it quite a long and tiring process because you really need to grind it well to make it fluid and clump-less.
If you use a blender like I do pretty much always, chances are that the basil gets heated up and becomes dark. In this case, adding two ice cubes helps keep the basil of a bright green color.
Variations
- The nuts. While using pine nuts is the original recipe and in my opinion, the best result, if you don’t have them or you just want to try different versions, you can replace them with almonds or pistachio and still get a great pesto sauce.
- The pasta. While in the Liguria region, the pasta traditionally used for pesto is the fresh trofie, this sauce is so versatile that
- With tomato. For a slightly different variant, you can add one or two pieces of sun-dried tomatoes. It will add a tangy flavor that suits very well when you use your pesto sauce to season pasta.
- With potatoes. You can boil a few potatoes together with the pasta and season everything together with the pesto sauce. The potatoes will add a creamy touch making it a heartier dish.
- With green beans. If you want to keep it green and lighter, instead of potatoes, you can follow pretty much the same steps with green beans. I often add them to my pasta with pesto sauce and it makes it a fantastic dish.
How to use our pesto sauce – 5 ways
- To dress the pasta. This is the most classic way to use pesto sauce. Even if it’s a simple sauce, it makes a very flavorful dish.
- In a veggie lasagna. If you make a plant-based lasagna, chances are that pesto will add a nice twist.
- To add to a soup. I’ve tried adding my pesto sauce to a chickpea and barley soup like I saw in a recipe on an Italian website and absolutely loved it. It adds a very fresh twist.
- As a spread. You can spread it on a slice of toasted whole-grain bread or when stuffing a piadina flatbread and add fresh or sundried tomatoes on top as well as avocado.
- In a salad. Since it’s all raw and basil perfectly blends with fresh green salad, a teaspoon or two of pesto sauce is a nicely pungent addition. For the occasion, you can sprinkle on your pesto some grated lemon zest.
Italian Pesto Sauce
The original recipe for the traditional Italian pesto sauce.
Equipment
- 1 Blender or a good mortar
Ingredients
- 50 gr fresh basil
- 10 gr pine nuts
- 2 garlic cloves
- 60 gr Parmigiano Reggiano
- 8 tbsp olive oil extra virgin
- 8 gr salt
- 2 ice cubes optional
Instructions
- Wash the basil very gently to avoid darkening it and dry it using a kitchen cloth.
- If you are using the mortar, start crashing the garlic, some salt, and the pine nuts. If you are making your pesto sauce with a blender, start by blending these same ingredients.
- Add the basil and keep grinding with your pestle or blending with your blender.
- When the consistency is fluid, add the parmesan cheese.
- As the last step to avoid heating it up too much add the oil. You should be reaching a smooth and clump-free texture. If you see that the cheese starts getting clumpy, adjust it with oil or some drops of water.
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