Being from Genoa, it feels a bit strange to write Artichoke and Pine Nut Pesto because for me, the pesto is made with Prà basil. This sauce, however, is made by blanching artichoke hearts and blending them with oil, pine nuts, garlic, Parmesan and Pecorino cheese. It’s great for seasoning pasta or preparing delicious bruschetta. When added to béchamel sauce, it enhances baked artichoke lasagna.

Recipe of 02/17/2018 updated

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Difficulty: Very Easy
Cost: Economical
Preparation time: 30 Minutes
Portions: 4
Cooking methods: Boiling
Cuisine: Italian
Seasonality: Winter, Spring

338.77 Kcal

calories per serving

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Energy 338.77 (Kcal)
Carbohydrates 12.00 (g) of which sugars 1.26 (g)
Proteins 6.65 (g)
Fat 31.80 (g) of which saturated 5.69 (g)of which unsaturated 4.87 (g)
Fibers 5.49 (g)
Sodium 1,300.16 (mg)

Indicative values for a portion of 113 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

3 artichokes
1 oz oz pine nuts
0.5 cup cup extra virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic
1 oz oz Parmigiano Reggiano DOP (grated)
0.35 oz oz pecorino sardo (grated)
0.035 oz oz fine salt
0.35 oz oz coarse salt (for blanching artichokes)
1 lemon (juice)

Tools

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Cutting Board
Peeler
Pot
Immersion Blender
Food Scale

Steps

Remove the outer, tougher leaves, use the peeler to clean the stem, and cut the artichokes into wedges, removing the choke. Prepare a bowl with cold water and the juice of half a lemon and immediately soak all the cut pieces.
Drain the artichokes and blanch them for 15 minutes from boiling in salted boiling water acidified with the juice of the remaining half lemon. Gather them, pat dry with absorbent paper, and let cool. In a blender jar, place the extra virgin olive oil, the garlic with the germ removed, and the pine nuts. Blend with the immersion blender, add the artichokes, and blend further until creamy. Salt, add the grated cheeses, mix, and the Artichoke and Pine Nut Pesto is ready. It keeps in the fridge for 2-3 days or can be placed in jars and frozen.