Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Pesto alla Genovese
traditional basil pesto

If there is one herb that reflects all that is summer, it is the sweet scent of Basil. Used fresh it is the star of a crisp a Caprese salad but combined into pesto and served with pasta, this is a traditional classic. Basil Pesto is also a perfect complement for grilled fish or steak and really simple to make.


Here’s what you need:

Ingredients

2 cups packed basil leaves
1/4 cup pine nuts
1 small garlic clove, thinly sliced
Coarse sea salt
1/2 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano or Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
8 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Wipe the basil with damp paper towels to remove any dirt and tear any large leaves into smaller pieces. Combine basil, pine nuts, garlic and pinch salt in a mortar. Using the pestle with a rotary movement, grind the ingredients against the wall of the mortar until ground to a paste. Using a wooden spoon, stir in the cheese to combine. Stir in the oil, 1 tablespoon at a time, to desired consistency (you do not have to use all of the oil). That’s it! Put into a sterilized jar and keep in the fridge. It should last for two weeks, but then again, once you taste the stuff, its not going to last two days…

1 comment:

  1. This is one of my fave!I love that you used the traditional way of making pesto.I saw your blog from the foodie blog roll and I like what you have here.if you won't mind I'd love to guide Foodista readers to this post.Just add the foodista widget to the end of this post and it's all set, Thanks!

    ReplyDelete