Italian Basil Recipe

[Louann Mauffray]

Pestothe pride of the great Italian sea part of Genoa, is a thick sauce which is excellent with pasta or fish. It does not require cooking, but is one of those recipes where you have to add olive oil carefully and gradually to a mixture which you have pounded with a mortar; the pounded ingredients are garlic, pine nut kernels, grated parmesan cheese (or Sardo from Sardinia), salt, and fresh basil leaves. The flavor of basil is dominant.

Traditionally pesto is made just as the Oxford Companion describes with fresh basil, pine nuts, garlic, salt, and sometimes grated parmesan or pecorino cheese. However, there are many variations of pesto throughout Italy. Some versions incorporate sun dried tomatoes, different nuts, and a variety of herbs to change the flavor of the spread.

Why make pesto with an immersion blender, rather than a food processor or blender? Immersion blending allows the herbs to be blended far from the motor heat source, giving a more even chop and a fresher flavor.

To clean basil without bruising, fill a sink with cold water. Submerge your basil in the water and gently agitate with your hands to loosen any dirt or debris from the stems and leaves. Leave it for a couple of minutes so dirt will sink to the bottom. Lift the basil out of the water, allowing water to drip off. Place the herbs on a rack or on towels to drip dry.

Pesto can be stored in the refrigerator in a covered container for up to a week. Be sure to cover it with a thin layer of olive oil to keep the air off of the surface. This prolongs shelf life and helps keep it fresh.

I recommend freezing pesto without cheese. If you want to add cheese, do so after thawing just before using, adding an equal amount of grated cheese to thawed pesto. Add olive oil as needed to liquify the texture.

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If you've ever tasted pesto in Italy you know that the pesto here in the United States just isn't the same. I received a lesson in how to make pesto from a real Italian grandmother last week and now I understand the difference and what makes this pesto recipe so special.

My friend Francesca makes the trip from her small town near the pesto-epicenter of Genoa, Italy to San Francisco once or twice a year - this time (lucky for us) she brought her mom and two-year old son Mattia. Her mom makes a beautiful pesto (and perfectly light, potato gnocchi to go along with it) and offered to show me and my friend Jen how it is done. I have to say, it was a complete game-changer. If you love pesto, you really have to try this. Her technique results in an incredibly special version.

Most of the pesto you encounter here in the U.S. is different for a few reasons. First off, most of what you see is made by machine, usually a food processor or hand blender. The cook will pulse into a paste. This holds true even if it is homemade. Don't get me wrong, it usually tastes good, but because the ingredients aren't hand chopped you end up with a texture that is more like like a moist, uniform paste with little to no definition between ingredients. You also might see pesto made with a mortar and pestle. This pesto is something different.

During my lesson I quickly began to realize chopping all the ingredients by hand is key because this prevents the ingredients from becoming a completely homogenized emulsion or paste. When you dress a pasta with a pesto that has been hand chopped the minuscule flecks of basil will separate from the olive oil, pine nuts, and Parmesan cheese in places. You get definition between ingredients, and bright flavors pop in a way they don't when they've been blended into one.

Genovese pesto is famous in part because it is often made with young, small fresh basil leaves. For us non-Italians it is easy to find Genovese basil in stores and at farmer's markets, particularly in the summer. That said, chances are it wasn't picked young. I wouldn't worry about it too much, simply by hand chopping all your ingredients, you will see a major shift in personality of your pesto.

Per the above, this pesto celebrates hand-chopping. Correspondingly, if you're serious about making good pesto using the hand-chop technique you'll need a sharp (preferably large, single blade) mezzaluna, or a good knife. The sharpness of your blade absolutely matters because you don't want to bruise or tear your basil. Whatever you use to chop, make sure it has a sharp blade or the basil will turn dark. Chopping the ingredients will take twenty minutes or so. Once you chop your ingredients, you'll form them into a cake, pictured above. You add olive oil to this cake, and it's magic.

What do you eat pesto with? There are so many great ways to use pesto - some traditional, many not. I love a thick slather as the base sauce on a good pizza (this page actually has an extended list of pizza topping ideas). Or, on a tart before adding other toppings. If you have a slab of sourdough coming off the grill, a bit of pesto, some seasonal roasted veggies, and a dusting of cheese makes an easy meal. And because it lends a bolt of flavor, I love to whisk a dollop into scrambled eggs, or an omelette, mashed potatoes, or on baked potatoes.

Generally speaking, store any pesto you might use in the next day or two, refrigerated, under a thin film of olive oil. You can also freeze it in snack-sized baggies. Thaw and toss with whatever gnocchi, ravioli, or other favorite pasta you like - and a good splash of pasta water!

Don't limit yourself to basil pesto. You can absolutely experiment with a blend of other herbs as well. You can add anything from parsley to marjoram (a favorite!), mint to fresh oregano to your basil base. Or leave the basil out entirely! I like to add citrus zest on occasion, or switch up the type of nuts I use - toasted almonds and walnuts are favorites.

One key to perfect pesto is chopping all the ingredients by hand, preferably with a sharp mezzaluna or knife. This pesto will keep a bit in the refrigerator, but it really hits its peak when served soon after it is made. The technique here is: chop a bit, add some ingredients, chop some more. I think part of the reason she does it this way, instead of chopping everything all at once, is because some things get chopped into oblivion. Other ingredients, not as much. It encourages a spectrum of cut sizes throughout the pesto contributing to the overall texture. All told, the chopping took me a leisurely twenty to thirty minutes, I wasn't in any particular rush. You'll also notice this recipe doesn't have any added salt (just the saltiness from the cheese), make sure your pasta water is well salted if you are going to use this pesto on pasta. If you skip it the overall flavor profile will fall flat. Also, be sure to adjust for seasoning before serving. With food this simple, you need to get the seasoning right. Trust your tastebuds.

Start chopping the garlic along with about 1/3 of the basil leaves. Once this is loosely chopped add more basil, chop some more, add the rest of the basil, chop some more. I scrape and chop, gather and chop. At this point the basil and garlic should be a very fine mince. Add about half the pine nuts, chop. Add the rest of the pine nuts, chop. Add half of the Parmesan, chop. Add the rest of the Parmesan, and chop. In the end you want a chop so fine that you can press all the ingredients into a basil "cake" - see the photo up above. Transfer the pesto "cake" to a small bowl (not much bigger than the cake).

Cover the pesto "cake" with a bit of olive oil. It doesn't take much, just a few tablespoons. At this point, you can set the pesto aside, or place it in the refrigerator until you are ready to use it. Just before serving, give the pesto a quick stir to incorporate some of the oil into the basil. Francesca's mom occasionally thins the pesto with a splash of pasta water for more coverage, but for our gnocchi this wasn't necessary.

An interesting, different, certainly brave approach, but having tried it, the garlic made it taste more like salsa verde than pesto. It also emulsifies better if made the authentic way in a pestle and mortar, which I prefer with a mix of Pecorino Romano and Parmiggiano Regiano to add depth of flavour, to just plain garlic.

How to store basil: Basil will last almost indefinitely in water on the counter. I have tested this all summer. Some of it will even root. Washing it and putting in paper towels will only last a few days. Treat the basil like you would in the garden and cut back those flowers.

I always chopped the basil so to limit the need for the food processor, thus reducing potential bitterness. But the process featured here is so intuitive that my feeble mind never quite got wrapped around what should have been obvious.

I took a chance and tripled the recipe. I have that wonderful garden blessing of having too much basil to consume between my husband and I. So, I freeze a good bit of pesto in ice trays so we can enjoy it year around.

im italian, and since i was a little kid i would spend hours alone in my living room just making pesto with a mortar and pestle as it is originally done- i took a fieldtrip when i was very small to genova and they taught me to make it. this recipe is super traditional yet something we can all do a lot more easily than using the mortar each time! thank you xxx

Hello from Argentina!! I am the granddaughter of a wonderful couple of Italians born in Genova (Giovani Battista and Terzilla Olivieri). For me, pesto is a childhood flavour. Wonderful taste, great texture. Just one thing, from my early memories of sunday mornigs, when home made pasta was a must: I understand from your recipe that you chop with a blade; I saw my grandparents use a wooden mortar and pestle. Also, to prevent oxidation of basil (turning black), you can cover the pesto with olive oil, to prevent oxigen from reaching the ingredients.

Thanks!!!

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