I made basil pesto. It’s not a Genovese pesto, it’s just a pesto I developed from a recipe found in the instruction booklet of one of the many blenders I’ve purchased over the years.
That particular purchase was of fundamental importance because, while reading the booklet, I stumbled upon a basil pesto recipe. I had never made pesto until that moment, but I had been wanting to try it for a long time, so… what better way to test the blender? 😃
After making the necessary modifications and customizations, I ended up with a pesto that we really enjoyed, and from that moment it became my household’s basil pesto.
A homemade production of pesto that happened quite recently. Before then, I always just bought it. Sometimes in a jar, or from the refrigerated section, other times from the deli counter, and I confess I still do sometimes (I mean buy it), because it’s convenient to have it on hand in the pantry or fridge for emergencies. But in these cases, I use it sparingly because it’s a packaged product and therefore contains salt.
Then, sometimes I happen to have (thanks to my mom, as always) two pots of basil on the terrace 😀 And in those cases, making pesto at home is truly the right thing to do. 😉
If you’ve never made basil pesto, you absolutely have to try because it is really simple, it’s one of those recipes that makes you wonder why you never started making it before.
This one you see in the photo was used to make some finger-licking-good pesto lasagna. Highly recommended!
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- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Cheap
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 2
- Cooking methods: No Cooking
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All Seasons
Ingredients
- 1.25 oz basil (60 medium-large leaves)
- 1 clove garlic
- 2 tbsps pine nuts
- 2.8 oz extra virgin olive oil
- 1.75 oz parmesan cheese
- as needed water
- pepper (optional)
Tools
- Chopper
Steps
Wash and dry the basil leaves.
Peel the garlic clove and remove the central sprout, if present.
Add the basil, garlic, pine nuts, and parmesan chopped into small pieces to the mixer container. Start the mixer, adding 2-3 tablespoons of water.
Gradually add the oil and blend until the desired consistency is achieved. Optionally, replace part of the oil with water.Adding water (in the amount deemed necessary by eye, without exaggeration) instead of oil allows reducing the oil. Even when seasoning pasta, I always add a couple of tablespoons of pasta cooking water because it helps to combine without adding oil. I learned this trick when I was on a diet, and the allowed daily oil quantity was really minimal, then I never abandoned it because it works.
Good, the pesto is ready.
At the end, if desired, freshly ground pepper can be added.And now here are the lasagna, made with my basil pesto. 😋 For the pesto lasagna recipe, refer to this recipe of mine, the only difference: use this homemade pesto instead of the one in the recipe. 😉
Enjoy!
This recipe was one of the first recipes on this blog, one of those I’m fond of, first published on June 24, 2014.
Today, ten years later, I decided to update the text a bit and am organizing to update the cover photo too. A photo that a few years ago someone openly criticized with a comment on fb. Well, they were kind of right, it’s not a glossy magazine photo, like many blog photos from a decade ago, but the goodness of this pesto is guaranteed because it’s been tested by my family jury! 😊
Salt-Free Tips
Try making pesto without salt!
If you want to reduce salt but don’t know where to start… start by reading my salt-free tips! Here they are! 👇
If you are interested in reducing or eliminating salt, always remember to:
▫ Gradually reduce the salt, the palate must get used to it slowly and not notice the progressive reduction.
▫ Use spices. Chili pepper, black pepper, curry, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, cumin…
▫ Use aromatic herbs. Basil, parsley, oregano, thyme, sage, marjoram, rosemary, mint…
▫ Use seeds. Sesame seeds, pine nuts, almonds, walnuts…
▫ Use spicy vegetables or fruits. Garlic, onion, lemon, orange…
▫ Use my vegetable granules without salt and gomasio.
▫ Prefer fresh foods.
▫ Avoid cooking in water, prefer cooking methods that do not disperse flavors (grill, foil, steaming, microwave)
▫ Avoid bringing the salt shaker to the table!
▫ Sometimes allow yourself a departure from the rule. It is good for your mood and helps to persevere.
If you don’t want, or can’t, give up salt:
▫ You can still try my recipes, salting them according to your habits.
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On my new WhatsApp channel and on Instagram, on the Facebook page and Pinterest, in my two groups: Catia’s group, in the kitchen and beyond and Just what I was looking for! and if you like… subscribe to my Newsletter.
