(Pesto sauce. Genoa-style - Traditional recipe from Liguria)

Pesto alla genovese

Pesto sauce. Genoa-style Traditional recipe from Liguria

Pesto sauce for tossing Italian pasta; it is made with pine nuts, olive oil, basil, pecorino and Parmigiano cheese, garlic

yeld for 4

40 g (1 1/2oz) fresh basil (about 50 leaves)
1 garlic clove
10 g (1/3 oz) pine nuts
10 g (1/3 oz) grated pecorino cheese
10 g (1/3 oz) grated Permesan cheese
8 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Salt

Time:
preparation: about 60 minutes
no cooking
Difficulty:
medium difficulty
Nutrition Facts (amount per serving):
Calories: 233 (kCal) 12 % GDA (*) - 975 (kJ)
Protein: 3.4 (g) 7 % GDA
Total fat: 24.1 (g) 35 % GDA
Total carbohydrate: 0.7 (g) 1 % GDA
Sugars: 0.7 (g) 1 % GDA

Pesto sauce is well known all over the world. It is a traditional recipe from Genoa.
You can use pesto sauce to toss pasta (trenette, trofie, lasagna, spaghetti, ...) and gnocchi (potato dumplings) or for egg dishes and asparagus dishes. It can also be the topping for Italian pizza. In all cases it tastes fantastic!

You can find ready made pesto sauce or you can prepare it at home: homemade pesto sauce is fantastic!
There is only a difficulty: the time to make it. If you use a mortar you need at least 45 or 60 minutes. If you use a food processor you need only 5 minutes plus the time for cleaning and washing basil but it isn't the same thing!

We show you a version of pesto sauce but you can know there are at least 60 versions of pesto sauce in Genoa.
Every family has his version of pesto sauce!
Here it is the most common recipe.

Wash only the basil leaves in cold water. Make this step quickly, don't let the leaves be in water too long.
Pat dry the leaves with absorbent kitchen paper.
Put the basil leaves in a mortar together with a pinch of salt, pine nuts and garlic. Mash the ingredients with a rotatory motion. You must obtain an homogeneous mixture.
At this point add the two kinds of cheese and keep on mashing.
Then pour in half the olive oil little by little while you are mashing.
You must have a creamy sauce.
Complete the sauce adding the remaining olive oil and stir.
Your sauce is ready!

Note

- For a quicker recipe use a food processor. Put the basil leaves with garlic, pine nuts, a pinch of salt and half of the olive oil in the food processor. Process briefly at medium speed. Add the grated cheeses and process again.
Put the sauce in a bowl and complete the recipe with the remaining olive oil.
- Read more on The Italian Taste's blog for other suggestions ... for example:
how can I make pesto sauce in winter when there is no basil?
how can I preserve pesto sauce?