Authentic Genovese Pesto: Recipe with Mortar and Blender, Secrets and Tricks for a Bright Green Pesto
The Genovese pesto, a jewel of Ligurian cuisine, is a symphony of flavors that enchants the palate and smells of fresh basil. This recipe, passed down from generation to generation, is a hymn to the simplicity and quality of the ingredients: Genovese DOP basil, Ligurian extra virgin olive oil, Vessalico garlic, Italian pine nuts, Parmigiano Reggiano, and Sardinian pecorino.
In this comprehensive guide, I will reveal all the secrets to preparing an authentic Genovese pesto, both with the traditional mortar and the practical blender. You will also learn the foolproof trick to keep your pesto bright green, avoiding basil oxidation.
Genovese pesto is a versatile condiment loved worldwide, perfect for enhancing fresh pasta, especially trofie and trenette, or enriching gnocchi, lasagna, and savory pies.
Discover with me how to prepare the best Genovese pesto ever, following the rules of tradition and the advice of a true Genovese!
And to these rules, I add two equally fundamental ones for a Genovese: 1) if you don’t put GARLIC, it’s not PESTO, 2) you must never cook the PESTO as it is a no-cook condiment, with only two tolerated exceptions: BAKED LASAGNA WITH PESTO, and the legendary SAVORY PIE with BASIL PESTO!
But how do you make Genovese basil pesto? Follow my instructions and you will prepare the best GENOVESE BASIL PESTO you have ever tasted in your life.
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Medium
- Preparation time: 5 Minutes
- Portions: 4
- Cooking methods: No-cook
- Cuisine: Italian
- Energy 365.71 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 2.27 (g) of which sugars 0.35 (g)
- Proteins 9.19 (g)
- Fat 37.21 (g) of which saturated 8.72 (g)of which unsaturated 5.98 (g)
- Fibers 0.59 (g)
- Sodium 725.11 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 45 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 bunches basil (preferably from Prà, about 60 g of leaves)
- 2 1/2 oz grated Parmesan cheese (aged 36 months)
- 1 oz pecorino romano (grated)
- 1 pinch coarse salt
- 1 oz pine nuts
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic
Tools
- Blender
Steps
Let’s start as tradition dictates, preparing the BASIL PESTO with the MORTAR, followed by the recipe to prepare the pesto with the BLENDER
First, clean the basil by taking only the leaves, rinse them quickly under water to remove any dirt residue, and gently dry them with a cloth. Place the basil leaves in the mortar with a pinch of coarse salt (TRICK to prevent the basil leaves from darkening) and crush with the WOODEN PESTLE using circular motions for a few minutes. You should obtain a pulp. At this point, add the remaining ingredients in this sequence, always crushing before adding the next ingredient: garlic, pine nuts, oil, Parmesan, pecorino. Continue to crush with the pestle in the mortar until the Basil Pesto becomes a homogeneous cream. The entire process can take from 10 to 15 minutes.
First, clean the basil by taking only the leaves, rinse them quickly under water to remove any dirt residue, and gently dry them with a cloth.
Put the basil leaves in the blender cup with the pine nuts, grated Parmesan, grated Pecorino, garlic cloves (cut in half and remove the germ), and a pinch of coarse salt and start blending. While still blending, slowly add the extra virgin olive oil until you get a smooth and homogeneous cream. Be careful not to blend continuously (TRICK to prevent the PESTO from darkening) otherwise the blender blades would overheat and the pesto would “cook” becoming dark. Proceed with short bursts, turning the blender on and off for a few seconds at a time. Your GENOVESE BASIL PESTO is ready! Use it to season the pasta and remember: Basil Pesto should NEVER be cooked!!!!
TIPS
BASIL: To obtain a true BASIL PESTO, the basil must absolutely be from Genoa and even better if from Prà (a neighborhood of Genoa with DOP designation). The smaller the basil leaves, the better: beware of basil with leaves that are too large as it may have a minty aftertaste.
PARMESAN: The original recipe of Genovese pesto is very precise about the aging months of the Parmesan, which should be 36 months. Too fresh Parmesan would tend to melt with the heat of the pasta, giving a “scrambled” result to your Pesto.
PECORINO: In this case, to prepare Genovese basil pesto, aged grated pecorino should be used.
GARLIC: Let me start by saying that without garlic it is not Genovese basil pesto, having clarified this, I’m aware that looking for garlic should not be a nightmare! Therefore, even if the guidelines for making real Genovese basil pesto would prefer the use of Vessalico garlic (as it is more delicate), you can safely use regular garlic.
PINE NUTS: Just one recommendation… make sure to buy only and exclusively Italian pine nuts, they cost a little more but are worth it, and you only need 1 oz!
Tips for a Perfect Genovese Pesto:
Fresh and Cold Basil: Use DOP Genovese basil, preferably from Prà, for its intense aroma.
Gently wash the leaves with cold water and dry them carefully.
Before blending, chill the leaves in the fridge to avoid oxidation.
Optimal Blending: If using a blender, blend in short pulses to avoid overheating the leaves.
Add an ice cube during blending to keep the temperature low.
Quality Ingredients: Use Ligurian extra virgin olive oil for its delicate flavor.
Choose Italian pine nuts, sweet and aromatic.
Use Vessalico garlic, more digestible.
Add 36-month aged Parmigiano Reggiano and Sardinian pecorino for a touch of savoriness.
Color Preservation: Add a few drops of lemon juice to preserve the bright green color.
No Cooking: The pesto should never be cooked, but used raw to preserve its aromas.
Only exceptions: baked lasagna and savory pesto pies.
HISTORY AND ORIGINS OF GENOVESE PESTO
The roots of Genovese pesto lie in the past of Liguria, where even in Roman times sauces based on aromatic herbs were consumed. However, the recipe we know today began to take shape in the 19th century, when Genovese basil, with its unmistakable aroma, became the main ingredient. Tradition has it that pesto was prepared with a marble mortar and pestle to best preserve the aromas of the ingredients. Today, while maintaining its ancient soul intact, Genovese pesto has adapted to modern times with the use of a blender, always respecting the canons of the original recipe
FAQ (Questions and Answers)
How to clean Basil for making GENOVESE PESTO?
You bought Basil to prepare Pesto and now don’t know how to clean it? Don’t worry, it’s very easy. Take the bunches of basil and gently detach all the leaves. Wash them under cold running tap water and then simply dry them by patting with absorbent paper before using.
How to remove the STRONG BITTER FLAVOR from basil for making pesto? Why does my basil pesto have a strong or bitter taste?
If using basil leaves that are too large or not grown in Genoa, the Basil Pesto may have a strong almost bitter taste instead of a delicate one. A trick to remove the strong flavor from basil and your pesto is to blanch the basil leaves for a few seconds in a pot with water (only 5 seconds and then immediately dry them with a paper towel). This simple GRANDMA’S TRICK will help remove much of the strong flavor from the basil leaves and consequently from the PESTO.
How to use BASIL PESTO?
Genovese Basil Pesto is a no-cook sauce that is primarily used to season pasta (preferably fresh pasta) like the typical TROFIE or TROFIETTE, but also gnocchi or tagliatelle. Often in Liguria, it is used with potatoes and green beans. A GOLDEN RULE is that BASIL PESTO should never be cooked, so it must be added to the pasta off the heat and tossed in the serving dish with the freshly drained pasta. The only exceptions tolerated by the Genovese are BAKED LASAGNA with BASIL PESTO, or the SAVORY PIE with BASIL PESTO.
