Pesto is a nice sauce to serve on pasta on a hot summer day. We just spent some time in the Mediterranean region where it was very hot. Pesto was great to eat during the day just to satisfy our quick hunger. I really like how the fragrant basil with all its ingredients olive oil, cheese, garlic, and pine nuts can create such a unique dish. Just make sure you use the best ingredients you can find!
Pesto is a unique and delicious sauce that originated in Genoa, Italy, around the 16th century. Originally, it was made in mortars and according to Genoese cooks, pesto can only be made in mortars. In fact, its name or its verb version ‘pestare’ means to pound and grind. Today, we have food processors that would be a fine replacement, just keep in mind that pesto is meant to be pounded and not so much chopped so in other words don’t over process it in the food processor and fold the cheese in at the end by hand.
Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 cup tightly packed fresh basil
- 1 cup fresh, cold pressed olive oil
- 1/2 cup chopped up pine nuts (walnuts are fine too)
- 4 garlic cloves
- salt
- 1 cup freshly grated parmi-giano-reggiano cheese
- 4 Tbsp grated romano cheese (optional)
- 1 pound of pasta (farfarelle or any pasta with a large surface area)
Directions
- Take the leaves off of the stems and wash them well in cold water. Clip off the flowering tips and any brownish leaves if there are any. Put them in a colander and let the water drain off. By the time you have everything else ready the basil should be ready too.
- Start boiling water for the pasta. Continue according to the package. Drain the liquid. Save 4 Tbsp cooking water for the pesto. Set aside.
- Measure out all the ingredients.
- Chop up the garlic with the blade of a sharp knife.
- I do not have a mortar but I have a small food processor. The following directions are for a food processor. Put the basil in the food processor and process until chopped. (You are chopping at this stage). Add olive oil, pine nuts, chopped garlic, salt and chop quickly, gently just until they are nicely blended.
- Transfer this mixture into a clean bowl. You will continue mixing in the cheese with a spoon by hand. (Please see explanation above).
- When adding the pesto to the pasta, add 2-4 Tbsp of the reserved pasta water.
- Serve with vegetables at room temperature.
enjoy!
Sources
Marcella Hazan: Essentials of Classical Italian Cooking
Twin Cities Herbs 
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