Today we will see the true recipe to prepare Genovese pesto with a blender! The preparation is very easy and relies entirely on the freshness of the ingredients. There are many versions of pesto, but this is the quintessential recipe; when one says pesto, they think of this!
If you like pesto, don’t forget to read the recipe
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very cheap
- Rest time: 2 Minutes
- Preparation time: 5 Minutes
- Portions: 2
- Cooking methods: Stove
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
- Energy 677.73 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 2.14 (g) of which sugars 0.28 (g)
- Proteins 18.88 (g)
- Fat 68.56 (g) of which saturated 18.33 (g)of which unsaturated 6.83 (g)
- Fibers 0.64 (g)
- Sodium 1,709.11 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 100 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients for 2 people
- 2 oz basil
- 0.5 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 4 tablespoons Parmigiano Reggiano DOP
- 2 tablespoons Pecorino Romano
- 1 tablespoon pine nuts
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 clove garlic
Tools
- 1 Blender
Procedure
To obtain a creamy pesto with a bright color, there are some tips to keep in mind. It’s easy to make mistakes and turn the pesto into a dull green sauce
The original recipe calls for preparation with a mortar, a slow process that requires patience, but today we will simplify by preparing it with a blender.
Wash the basil well, ensuring it’s not warm or it will spoil. The best time to pick it is in the morning when it’s still fresh and not in direct sunlight.
In the blender glass, put the basil, coarse salt, and half of the oil. Crush the garlic, remove the skin, and with the help of a knife, remove the inner core. This operation is important to make the Genovese pesto lighter and more digestible.
Blend at the lowest speed and in intervals; this operation is important to avoid overheating the basil and thus losing the bright green color.
It’s important to use the lowest speed; in this way, you avoid putting the blender jar in the refrigerator to cool it.
A trick to avoid mistakes is to add 2 ice cubes to cool the blade during use.
Add the rest of the ingredients and blend always at low speed, pouring the oil gradually.
If you like a fairly coarse and crunchy pesto, I suggest toasting the pine nuts in a pan before adding them to the blender, try it!
Genovese pesto can also be stored for up to 3 months in the refrigerator, but it must always be completely covered with extra virgin olive oil to prevent oxidation.
Your Genovese pesto with blender is ready!
Serving Suggestions:
You can serve Genovese pesto on a warm dish of trofie, or in the summer to flavor a cold pasta dish, perhaps with the addition of some fresh basil leaves for decoration. If using basil as a sauce, you can also use it to garnish the plate, for example, on a bruschetta or another dish.
Wine Pairing for Genovese Pesto:
To enhance the flavor of Genovese pesto, I recommend a full-bodied white wine such as a Ligurian Vermentino, a full-bodied and aromatic wine that can enhance this traditional Ligurian recipe.
