The one in which all the flavours are perfectly balanced : the blue basil , the sweet pine nuts , the spicy garlic and the creamy and savoury cheeses .
Discover the recipe by Enrica Monzani, the author of Liguria in Cucina - The flavours of Liguria
Ingredients for 2-3 people
- 50 g of basil leaves (about 2 bunches)
- 20 g pine nuts
- 40 g of grated 24-month Parmigiano Reggiano
- 15 g of grated Sardinian pecorino cheese (Fiore Sardo) or, if not available, Parmigiano Reggiano
- 1 clove of garlic (preferably Vessalico garlic)
- 3 g of coarse salt (fine salt if you prepare the pesto using the blender)
- 60-80 ml of EVO oil (better if “Riviera Ligure” DOP)
Procedure - In the mortar
Wash the basil in cold water gently and put it to dry on a cloth. The leaves must be very dry before they can be worked in the mortar. Remove the entire stem from the leaves (it is bitter and watery).
Place a small clove of garlic in the mortar. Add ⅓ of the pine nuts and crush until everything becomes a cream. Remove the crushed garlic from the mortar and set it aside, you will add it later. Place the remaining pine nuts in the mortar and reduce them to a cream.
Add 2/3 of the basil leaves until the mortar is full and a pinch of coarse salt. The coarse salt is necessary because it works as a grinder and allows you to break the basil leaves while using the pestle. Start “pounding” with a rotating movement of the pestle along the walls of the mortar. The basil leaves must be “shredded” so that they release the essential oils contained in the internal veins. Work the leaves until you have obtained a smooth cream. Add the remaining leaves, a few more grains of coarse salt and work everything again.
When the last basil leaves have blended in, add the chopped garlic and pine nuts that you left aside. Add a little at a time and adjust to taste.
Then add the cheeses. Mix and taste. Adjust
salt if necessary.
Finally add the oil, mixing delicately with a spoon and making sure it does not emulsify.
Once the pesto is finished, store it in a glass jar under a light layer of oil to prevent it from oxidizing. Before using it to dress pasta, dilute it with a couple of tablespoons of hot pasta water, stirring vigorously. This will give you the right creaminess.
Procedure - With the blender
If you don't have enough time
(or you simply don't have a marble mortar available), you can certainly prepare pesto using
the blender. Here are some tips to follow, especially to prevent the pesto from oxidizing:
- before preparing, place the blender jug and blades in the freezer so that they become nice and cold;
- use the blender intermittently to avoid the blades developing heat;
- preferably use an immersion blender;
- put the oil in the refrigerator an hour before making the pesto.
The ingredients are the same. The only difference is the salt, which must be fine and not coarse. However, I strongly recommend doubling or tripling the doses to make the preparation easier (the leftover pesto can be frozen for a couple of months).
Instead, it is important to vary the order in which you add the ingredients to the jug. First add the garlic, pine nuts and half the oil. Blend until you obtain a cream. Then add the basil leaves a little at a time (remember to blend intermittently). Once the basil is finished, add the cheese and blend. Then pour in the remaining oil, but mix with a spoon to prevent the oil from emulsifying. Finally, add the salt (fine, not coarse).
Again, before dressing the pasta, dilute the pesto with a couple of spoons of hot pasta water, stirring vigorously.