What Is
Pesto is one of the most popular pasta toppings in Italy. It originated in Liguria, specifically in Genoa. This flavorful sauce is made of basil, extra-virgin olive oil, parmesan cheese, pecorino cheese, pine nuts, garlic and salt, traditionally ground in a ceramic or marble mortar. It can be homemade or commercially prepared.
How To
The most authentic way to make pesto is with a mortar and pestle, although a blender or food processor is often used to speed things up. The original version of this sauce begins with pulverizing a clove of garlic in a mortar. When the garlic is smooth, the basil leaves are added with a pinch of coarse salt. The basil should be crushed against the walls of the mortar, rotating the pestle from left to right while simultaneously turning the mortar the opposite way (from right to left). This continues until the leaves are fully ground into a paste, then the pine nuts are added and the grinding continues until everything is smooth. The cheeses are added gradually while continuing to grind the pesto to make it even creamier, and finally the extra-virgin olive oil is drizzled in while continuing to mix. All the ingredients are thoroughly combined until the mixture has an even consistency.
Italian Tradition
The best kind of basil for pesto is doubtless the Genovese variety with small, highly aromatic leaves. The leaves should be cleaned with a paper towel rather than washed with water, and they should be kept whole because bruising the tiny vesicles in the upper surface of the leaves that contain the essential oils would cause oxidization and make the pesto dark green and grassy tasting. Pesto is the perfect sauce to enjoy with a dish of trofie (the traditional Ligurian short pasta), lasagna, potato gnocchi or as a topping for a bowl of minestrone. It can be mixed into tomato sauce to enhance the flavor of pasta dishes or used with fish fillets to make them more appetizing. There are other versions of pesto with variations in the ingredients, but these are not part of the Ligurian tradition. Trapani-style pesto is one example, made with sun-dried tomatoes and Noto almonds.
How To Keep It Fresh
Pesto should be kept refrigerated in a closed container with the surface covered in oil to prevent the pesto from oxidizing. It can be used for 2-3 days, but after that the basil’s flavor changes and becomes a little bitter. Pesto can be frozen, ideally in single-portion tubs that can be thawed overnight in the refrigerator before eating.
