Pesto recipe, another Mediterranean diet jewel

This pesto recipe is the pesto alla Genovese born in the Italian Ligurian region. The discussions about the authenticity of this delicious vegetarian pasta sauce are as endless and passionate as with Valencian paella, but never mind... As they say: Just do it.

Homemade pesto recipe

Traditionally, you prepare the pesto with mortar and pestle. Now some home cooks prefer to quickly grind the ingredients with a blender or food processor.

If you do use a food processor, select the lowest speed in order to keep the pesto sauce texture as similar as possible to the pesto obtained by hand.

Ingredients for this pesto recipe

Serves 4

• 3 large sprigs basil – about 12 leaves
• 2 tablespoons freshly grated pecorino cheese – sardo or romano
• 2 tablespoons freshly grated parmesan cheese – parmigiano-reggiano is the best
• 1 tablespoon pine nuts
• 2 cloves garlic – peeled
• 1 pinch salt – coarse salt is best
• 1 cup extra virgin olive oil – Italian Ligurian olive oil if possible, but, in any case, a mild one like Catalan arbequina olive oil

Pesto recipe preparation instructions

Preparation time: 15 minutes.

1. First add the basil leaves and salt to a mortar and start grinding them by rotating the pestle against its walls. Do not pound the ingredients, but crush them against the walls of the mortar with circular movements of the wooden pestle.


2. Second, add the pine nuts and continue grinding them as above.


3. Third, add the garlic cloves and grind


• If you use a blender or food processor grind the ingredients together, but don't process them into a cream.




4. Now start adding the two different cheeses slowly and alternatively. Continue grinding the paste until you obtain a thick smooth paste.


5. At this point, add the olive oil and mix it well with the pestle until you obtain a dense paste.

Popular related recipes with pesto