The most popular kind of pesto originates in Genova in Northern Italy.  It gets its name from the word “pestare” which means “to pound”  in italian and its also the root of the word pestle.  Its main ingredients are basil leaves, pine nuts, garlic, parmigiano reggiano, salt and extra-virgin olive oil. In the traditional way to make Pesto alla Genovese, the basil leaves are washed and dried.  Then they are crushed with the garlic and coarse sea salt in a marble mortar with a wooden pestle.  The pine nuts (pignoli) are ground and once fully incorporated into the “basil cream”, the grated cheese and extra virgin olive oil are added to the mix.  I simply use my food processor which is easy and quick.  It is important that you remove the germ of the garlic (the slightly green “pit” in the middle of the garlic clove that eventually germinates), for a mild garlic flavor.

Pesto alla Genovese is very aromatic and has a refreshing taste.  I don’t only use it for pasta or gnocchi (which my husband loves), but also with toast, as a spread on sandwiches, over insalta caprese, to make pesto butter, and as the base for a light salad dressing.  Another great idea, is to make Pesto Pizza (check out my Pizza Dough recipe) and adding fontina cheese, artichokes, caramelized onions and white truffle oil, YUMM!!! Once you make the pesto and you store it in a container, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil to create a film on top that seals it so that it doesn’t turn black and cover with a tight lid. I make it quite frequently since I have fresh basil in my herb garden and I also get it (almost weekly) in my local farmer delivery box (check out El Departamento de la Comida).  Also, check out my recipe for Arugula-Walnut Pesto.

Buon Appetito!

Pesto alla Genovese

Ingredients

1/4 pound of basil leaves

3 garlic cloves (peeled, split in half, remove germ)

1/3 cup of pine nuts

1 cup of grated parmigiano reggiano cheese

1/2 tsp fine sea salt

1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil (plus a little more to drizzle)

pepper to taste

Procedure

1.  Place basil, garlic cloves, pine nuts in food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped.

2.  Add cheese, salt and pepper.  Pulse few more times.

3.  Add extra virgin olive oil pulse a couple of times until blended.

4. Place in a container that has a tight lid.  Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil to create a film on top that protects it from turning black.  Refrigerate.