Genoese Pesto

 Genoese Pesto

Pesto alla Genovese is the most famous sauce of Ligurian cooking. The original recipe calls for the use of seven ingredients, including Genovese basil DOP, garlic of Vessalico and taggiasco oil, the quantities should be established "by eye", according to the experience of the cook.

INGREDIENTS

• Vessalico garlic with the soul removed
• Pine nuts
• Small leaf Genovese DOP basil
• Taggiasco oil
• Salt
• Sardinian fiore pecorino cheese
• Parmesan cheese seasoned 24 months

There is no perfect recipe for Pesto alla Genovese. There is a rule about the type and quality of ingredients and there is good pesto, where good depends, as always, on the taste of the person who prepares and tastes it. We asked Roberto Panizza, a true Genoese and ambassador of pesto in the world, to reveal us some secrets, which we will show you. In the meantime, pay attention to the tools: the mortar is made of marble and the pestle is made of wood, a compact wood like pear wood. Pay attention to the sequence of ingredients and to the basic rule: prepare pesto by hand and not in a blender. 

Also keep in mind that the dosage of ingredients has changed over time: in the past they used much more garlic, whereas today the quantity has been greatly reduced. Many people consume pesto without garlic, but for this preparation it is necessary: it represents the spicy part in a recipe which otherwise would be mainly sweet.

The most important rule of pesto is to never heat it! Pesto must be used cold, diluted with a little cooking water if needed. 

Pesto is good with everything, even on bread. If I had to suggest a pasta format, I would prefer trofie, which wins over everything, but gnocchi and testaroli also make their mark.

You can use pesto to make many tasty recipes. For example, Lasagna with pesto or Trofie with cuttlefish in basil pesto, and finally pasta salads, such as Cold Pasta with cherry tomatoes, pesto and mozzarella.

A final tip: remember to finish the pesto recipe by giving it another turn in a mortar, to better blend the parmesan and oil with the other ingredients. Once ready, you can store the pesto alla genovese in the refrigerator, in a hermetically sealed glass jar, for up to 5 days.

To prepare the pesto alla Genovese, start by crushing the pine nuts and the Vessalico garlic in a mortar. Pound them together to create a floury mixture. 

Add the basil, removing the leaves one by one from the stem and placing them in the mortar along with the garlic and pine nut mixture. Add a pinch of salt, taking care not to overdo it: the parmesan and pecorino, which you will add later, are already very tasty.

Begin to pound: when the leaves are bruised, continue to work them with the mortar using a rotary motion. Change direction of rotation every so often until a cream is formed. 

Add the Parmesan cheese aged 24 months and the pecorino fiore sardo. Add the taggiasco oil and mix with a spoon.

Pound the mixture with the pestle to obtain a homogeneous sauce, adding more oil. Your pesto alla genovese is ready to season pasta, lasagna and gnocchi, as you like.