Pesto alla Genovese
I learned earlier this year that calling anything pesto other than true pesto genovese can divide opinion. So I will start this post by explaining that I’m calling this pesto alla genovese – in the style of – simply because I don’t have access to Ligurian basil DOP, European pine nuts, or extra virgin olive oil from the region. You may consider this a matter of semantics, but I think it is worth calling out that difference.
The official pesto genovese recipe comes from the Consortium for Pesto Genoese – or Consorzio del Pesto Genovese – and that’s the one I followed – to a T – or rather almost as I only used one garlic clove instead of two. The original recipe indicates the garlic should be mellow and sweet, and my garlic was not, so I reduced it to one clove. Either way, we are looking for a perfume of garlic, lingering in the background, not overpowering the overall flavour.
The main ingredient you’ll need for making this is patience – slowly grinding the basil in a circular motion (not pounding, please!), to release its perfume and natural oils that help to bind this iconic sauce.
And a final note regarding the choice of pasta – traditionally pesto genovese can be served with trofie, mandilli di saea, or trenette – the latter being similar to linguine which I chose to use here.
Pesto alla Genovese
Ingredients
- 50 g basil leaves small and young if possible
- Pinch of coarse sea salt
- 2 garlic cloves or “1 for every 30 leaves of basil”
- 1 tbsp pine nuts
- 6 tbsp grated Parmigiano reggiano
- 2 tbsp grated pecorino sardo
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil – not too strong in flavour
Instructions
- In a pestle and mortar, add a pinch of salt and the garlic clove. Pound and grind until this forms a paste.
- Add the pine nuts and again, pound and grind until you have a paste.
- Next, start adding the basil leaves in – a handful at a time, not all at once – and in a grinding motion, not pounding, slowly break the basil leaves down. Keep adding basil and grinding in this way until you have used all of it.
- Add the Parmigiano and incorporate, followed by the Pecorino.
- Add the olive oil in a few batches, incorporating after each addition.
