The term Genoese Pesto refers to the true recipe of the original sauce prepared with 7 ingredients. When you see the term Pesto “alla” genovese, it indicates a crushed sauce made with basil, ricotta, cashews, sunflower oil, and something else… so it is always better to read the label. Below I will provide the procedure with the mortar and with the blender, both very valid. Genoese pesto is the second best-selling sauce in the world, it is a “cold” sauce that should never be heated but should be diluted with the pasta cooking water to give the dish creaminess.
Recipe from 12/9/2016
Other recipes
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Inexpensive
- Preparation time: 30 Minutes
- Portions: 2
- Cooking methods: No cooking
- Cuisine: Regional Italian
- Region: Liguria
- Seasonality: All seasons
- Energy 623.76 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 1.66 (g) of which sugars 0.36 (g)
- Proteins 14.38 (g)
- Fat 64.90 (g) of which saturated 15.16 (g)of which unsaturated 7.14 (g)
- Fibers 0.76 (g)
- Sodium 1,631.39 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 130 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
- 2 cups basil (leaves)
- 7 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 6 tbsp Parmigiano Reggiano DOP (grated)
- 2 tbsp pecorino sardo (grated)
- 1 tbsp pine nuts
- 2 cloves fresh garlic (without core)
- 1 tsp coarse salt (a few grains)
Tools
- Mortar
- Immersion blender
- Food scale
Steps
Crush the garlic with salt, and when they reach a creamy consistency, add the pine nuts and work with the pestle in a circular motion. At this point, remove them and set them aside. This method is taught by the talented Romina Brazzi, who came third in the 2018 World Pesto Championship. Place the basil leaves in the mortar and gently continue to turn and crush, only then will the basil release its essential oils. Now add the cream of pine nuts and garlic, crush together, and add the cheeses.
Once the cheeses are well incorporated, add the oil drop by drop until a cream is formed, and our Genoese pesto is ready!
Place the container you will use into a pot full of ice water so the sauce doesn’t overheat from the blades’ action. Pour the oil with garlic and pine nuts into the immersion blender cup and blend for a few minutes. Add the basil leaves a few at a time and blend until a creamy mix forms. Finally, add the cheeses, fine salt, and mix. Certainly, the flavor will not be like the pesto made with the mortar, but if we have to prepare a certain amount, the result will be good enough.
