Italy · Sauces and Dips · Vegetarian
Pesto
Pine nuts and garlic pounded with fresh basil, sharp Pecorino, and fruity olive oil into a vivid green sauce. Made properly in a mortar, the texture stays slightly coarse and the basil flavor stays bright, not bruised.
18 min 570 kcal 4 serves Easy🌿Vegetarian🇮🇹Italy★★★★★4.9· 7 reviews
Ingredients
ServingsMetric
- 100 gpine nuts
- 1 bunchfresh basil leaves
- 100 gparmesan
- 100 mlolive oil
- 1 piecewheat loaf
- to tastesalt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
- Peel one garlic clove. Lightly toast the pine nuts in a dry pan.
- Grind garlic, nuts and basil leaves in a blender until smooth. Mix with grated Parmesan and 2 tbsp olive oil.
- Cut the loaf into slices about 1 cm thick and dry slightly in the oven. Rub with garlic and drizzle with olive oil.
- Spread the pesto on the bread slices. Season with salt and pepper and serve immediately.
FAQ
Basil oxidizes on contact with metal (blender blades) and from friction heat. Trick 1: blanch basil in boiling water for 5 seconds then immediately into ice water — chlorophyll is fixed. Trick 2: add a few parsley leaves — they are more color-stable. Trick 3: pour a thin layer of olive oil over the finished pesto in the jar — oil seals it from air. Proper pesto stays green for up to 5 days in the fridge.
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Comments (3)
Il vero pesto si fa nel mortaio, non nel frullatore. Con il frullatore il basilico si ossida e diventa nero. Lo so che è più lento ma vale la pena. E pinoli italiani mi raccomando, quelli cinesi non hanno sapore.
Проверено. Рабочий рецепт.
I always double this pesto recipe. The effort is nearly identical, and having a jar of it in the fridge means you'll actually use it throughout the week on everything from grilled meats to plain toast.