When it comes to Italian recipes, international blogs and cooking websites are not always a 100% accurate. For this reason when it comes to Italian food the best thing to do would be to double check on Italian websites, like ours!
Here below the original and genuine recipe for pesto, the mouthwatering sauce made of simple ingredients available along the coasts of the Peninsula.
The Pesto recipe: ingredients
Basil: 25 gr (or 0,88 Oz)
Parmigiano Reggiano DOP: 35 gr ( or 1,23 Oz)
Pine Nuts: 8 gr (or 0,3 Oz)
Coarse Salt: a pinch
Extra Virgin Olive Oil: 50 ml
Pecorino Cheese: 50 gr ( or 1,76 Oz)
Garlick: half a clove
With regards the tools needed to prepare the real pesto, you would need to have a mortar or alternatively a blender.
The procedure
First of all make sure that the basil you are using has thin and medium-sized leaves. If the leaves are too big that means that it is a mediterranean variety of basil which is not good for this recipe. These leaves tend to have a minty aftertaste that would spoil your pesto.
Now that you are sure about the basil quality, take the mortar and put into it the garlick clove (peel it before) and a pinch of a coarse salt. Now start pressing these two ingredients with the pestle till the garlick turns into a creamy paste. Then add the basil leaves and keep on pressing while moving anticlockwise the mortar.
When the leaves release a bright green liquid add the pine nuts and keep on pressing very quickly ( this is the secret to avoid the sauce to become too dark, almost black).
Now it’s the time to add the cheeses and then the olive oil, while stirring with the pestle.
Done! Your pesto is ready!
If you do not have a mortar ( I know it’s the 21st century…) you can use a blender. Just make sure to keep the cup and the blades in the freezer for half an hour. The heat caused by the extreme speed of the blades would spoil the taste of the pesto.
What you would need to do is to put all the ingredients listed above in the blender and turn it on intermittently to prevent the blades from overheating and causing oxidation.
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