Traditional Genoese pestobright green, fragrant and mortar-made
Classic Ligurian pesto with fresh basil, pine nuts, garlic, aged cheeses, olive oil and coarse salt.
Pesto Genovese is built by crushing, not cooking. Garlic and salt become a paste, pine nuts add body, and basil is worked gently before cheeses and fruity olive oil complete the bright green sauce.
Ingredients
Pesto
Preparation
Prepare the basil
Separate the leaves, rinse quickly and dry completely without bruising.
8 minutesCrush garlic and salt
In a cool marble mortar, grind garlic with coarse salt until creamy.
4 minutesAdd pine nuts
Crush pine nuts into the garlic paste until nearly smooth.
4 minutesWork in the basil
Add basil in small handfuls and rotate the pestle against the mortar walls until bright green.
7 minutesFinish with cheese and oil
Work in both cheeses, then stir in olive oil gradually until creamy. Do not heat.
5 minutes
Substitutions
Fiore Sardo is the classic sheep cheese; Pecorino Romano is the closest widely available substitute. Walnuts change the traditional identity.
Storage
Cover the surface with a thin film of olive oil and refrigerate promptly in a sealed jar.
Approximate shelf life: Up to 3 days refrigerated or 3 months frozen in small portions.
Nutrition values are estimates and may vary by brand, substitution and actual yield.
