Basil and lemon pesto, grandma’s recipe. A lemon-and-basil sauce ideal for dressing pasta, but also delightful on bruschetta, bread, focaccia or simply on a spoon! Although the only true pesto is Genoese pesto, there are many homemade pesto recipes, all different and all delicious. For example, I’m crazy about beetroot and almond pesto and ricotta and sun-dried tomato pesto; my daughter instead adores Trapani-style pesto and broccoli and walnut pesto, and I assure you that browsing my blog you’ll find many other versions! I had never made lemon and basil pesto before, but I was curious to try it, so a few days ago, after picking the lemons from my garden, I decided to prepare it and the result was astonishing and delicious! Delicate, fragrant and tasty, the lemon pesto allowed me to serve an original first course that conquered everyone, and with the leftover I also made some tasty bruschetta!! But let’s go to the kitchen, the lemon and basil pesto will surprise you. Before we roll up our sleeves, I remind you that if you want to stay updated on new recipes you can follow my page Facebook and my profile Instagram.
Also take a look at these pesto recipes:
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very inexpensive
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: quantity for 21 oz (600 g) of pasta
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Spring, Summer and Autumn
Ingredients to make lemon and basil pesto
- 3 oz lemon zest (organic, preferably freshly picked)
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 cup (packed) basil
- 1 cup (grated) Parmigiano (or Grana Padano)
- 1/3 cup (grated) Tuscan pecorino (or Sardinian pecorino)
- 1 clove garlic
- to taste salt
- to taste pink pepper (or black)
- 1 oz pine nuts
- 4 tablespoons lemon juice
Tools
- Pot
- Skimmer
- Blender
- Peeler
Preparation
For this recipe, preferably use basil and lemons freshly picked. If you have slightly green lemons (not fully ripe), the pesto will be even more aromatic. I blanched the lemon peels to make them less bitter; it’s not enough to avoid the white part only, and the result was excellent.
Quickly rinse the basil in cold water, then drain and lay it on a tea towel. Peel the lemons with a peeler, avoiding the white pith.
Bring a pot of water to a boil, drop in the peels and blanch them for less than 1 minute, then lift them out with a skimmer.
Immerse them in cold water to stop the cooking, then drain and lay them on a towel. Toast the pine nuts in a pan until golden, then transfer them to the blender jar together with all the ingredients listed in the recipe.
Blend without overheating the mixture, until you obtain a flavorful and gently green pesto.
Our lemon pesto is ready to dress pasta, bread and crostini. For pasta I recommend thinning it with a little cooking water.
Storage and tips
The pesto keeps in the fridge for one week if sealed well in an airtight container. You can also portion it into cubes or small cups and freeze it. To preserve a bright color and prevent the basil from darkening, place the blender jar in the freezer for 30 minutes before blending; heat will darken the basil.
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From here you can return to the HOME and discover new recipes!
From here you can return to the HOME and discover new recipes!
