Basil pesto with walnuts the simple and perfect recipe. The scent of basil immediately evokes summer and not just for the classic Pesto! In fact, it is the star of many recipes, from Pasta Salads to Rice Salads, but with its delightful aroma, it is perfect to enrich many dishes. The recipe I want to tell you about today is a special version of Basil Pesto. I replaced the classic pine nuts with walnuts. The result is a Basil Cream slightly less sweet than the classic pesto but just as delicious. To prepare it traditionally, you would need a mortar, but if you don’t want to attempt a more laborious preparation, you can easily use a common immersion blender as I did. With a few simple steps, you can prepare a delicious Genoese Pesto in just a few minutes. Let’s head to the kitchen, and with all my tips, it will be a piece of cake to prepare a delicious Pesto with walnuts and basil
AND DON’T MISS THESE RECIPES AS WELL:
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 4 People
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Spring, Summer
- Energy 142.07 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 0.72 (g) of which sugars 0.20 (g)
- Proteins 3.24 (g)
- Fat 14.50 (g) of which saturated 2.81 (g)of which unsaturated 0.80 (g)
- Fibers 0.31 (g)
- Sodium 142.47 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 50 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 Basil Pesto
- 1.75 oz basil
- 1.75 oz grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 clove garlic
- 0.88 oz walnut kernels
- 3.38 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 tsp coarse salt
What You Need
- Immersion Blender
How to Prepare Pesto with Walnuts
1. Choose fresh basil leaves, undamaged and without spots.
2. Blanch the basil leaves for a few seconds and then transfer them to ice water; this way, your pesto will maintain a bright green color and the basil won’t oxidize.
3. Add a few drops of vitamin C, in the form of lemon, to prevent the oxidation of the basil, keeping its bright green color.
4. Store the pesto in a jar, covering the surface with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
Wash the basil leaves. Prepare a bowl with water and ice cubes. Dunk the basil leaves for 5-6 seconds in boiling water. Quickly remove them with a skimmer and dunk them in the bowl. Roughly chop the walnut kernels.
Place the drained basil leaves, salt, a clove of garlic, lemon, walnuts, and grated Parmesan cheese into the cup of an immersion blender or a mixer. Blend to achieve a fairly grainy mixture. Gradually add the extra virgin olive oil while continuing to blend until you achieve a very creamy Pesto.
See you tomorrow with a new recipe. A hug, Loredana
Place the garlic and walnut kernels in small pieces into the mortar. Work with the pestle until you get a paste. Add the basil leaves and coarse salt. With the pestle, first crush and then make circular movements to achieve a creamy preparation. Add the Parmesan, the lemon, and mix. Finish by adding the extra virgin olive oil and rotating the pestle to incorporate it well.
Loredana’s Tips
Pesto can be stored in a jar in the fridge for 2-3 days, being careful to cover the surface with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
You can freeze it in small portions to use only what you need.
If you prefer, you can replace the walnuts with 0.88 ounces of pine nuts.
Don’t miss the recipe for the Focaccia with pesto and crescenza
