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Pesto alla Genovese

30 minutes · vegetarian

Fresh basil pesto with pine nuts, garlic, olive oil, coarse salt, and aged Italian cheese.

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  1. Detach Basil Leaves: Carefully pluck the leaves from the basil stems and place them in a colander.
  2. Rinse: Briefly rinse the basil leaves under cold running water.
  3. Dry the Leaves: Transfer the basil leaves to a clean kitchen towel and gently pat and rub them dry, especially in the crevices where water tends to accumulate.
  4. Prepare Garlic: Add peeled garlic cloves, halved with their cores removed, to a marble mortar.
  5. Crush Garlic: Work the garlic with a wooden pestle until it forms a paste.
  6. Add Pine Nuts: Add pine nuts to the garlic paste and continue crushing.
  7. Crush Into a Paste: Once the pine nuts are reduced to a paste, add the dry basil leaves.
  8. Add Coarse Salt: Add a pinch of coarse salt while continuing to crush the mixture.
  9. Mix with Percussive Movements: Start with percussive movements to break down the basil, then use rotational movements to blend the ingredients smoothly, scraping the inner edges with a spoon as needed.
  10. Add Pecorino Cheese: When the mixture becomes creamy, add Pecorino cheese cut into small chunks and continue to pestle in the same manner.
  11. Add Parmigiano Reggiano: Add aged Parmigiano Reggiano and continue blending until homogeneous.
  12. Finish with Olive Oil: Pour in olive oil and rotate the pestle for a few more moments to finish the pesto.
  13. Ready to Serve: Use the pesto immediately.
  14. Blender Method: Add all ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth.

This pesto keeps the basil preparation precise: leaves are rinsed briefly, dried thoroughly, and worked with garlic, pine nuts, salt, cheese, and olive oil. The mortar method builds texture slowly, while the blender method gives a faster smooth sauce.

Utensils

  • Blender or Stone Mortar

Recipe

Preparing the Basil

  1. Detach Basil Leaves: Carefully pluck the leaves from the basil stems and place them in a colander.
  2. Rinse: Briefly rinse the basil leaves under cold running water.
  3. Dry the Leaves: Transfer the basil leaves to a clean kitchen towel and gently pat and rub them dry. Pay special attention to the crevices of the leaves where water tends to accumulate, ensuring they are thoroughly dry.

Making the Pesto with a Mortar

  1. Prepare Garlic: Take a marble mortar and add peeled garlic cloves that have been halved and had their cores removed.
  2. Crush Garlic: Using a wooden pestle, work the garlic until it forms a paste.
  3. Add Pine Nuts: Introduce pine nuts to the garlic paste and continue crushing.
  4. Crush Into a Paste: Once the pine nuts are reduced to a paste, add the dry basil leaves.
  5. Add Coarse Salt: Incorporate a pinch of coarse salt as you continue to crush the mixture.
  6. Mix with Percussive Movements: Start with percussive movements to break down the basil, then switch to rotational movements to blend all the ingredients smoothly. Use a spoon to scrape the ingredients from the inner edges of the mortar to maintain an even consistency.
  7. Add Pecorino Cheese: When the mixture becomes creamy, add Pecorino cheese cut into small chunks and continue to pestle in the same manner.
  8. Add Parmigiano Reggiano: Follow by adding aged Parmigiano Reggiano, continuing to blend until homogeneous.
  9. Finish with Olive Oil: Pour in some olive oil and rotate the pestle for a few more moments to finalize the pesto.
  10. Ready to Serve: Your Pesto alla Genovese is now ready to be used.

Making the Pesto with a Blender

  1. Add the ingredients: Add all ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth.
  2. Ready to Serve: Your Pesto alla Genovese is now ready to be used.
Pesto alla GenoveseMade to be made again.