Gorgonzola cheese. Ultimately, with some experimentation, you can make pesto that suits your tastes exactly, just like every cook in Liguria.
It does not take a gourmet to make a delicious pesto sauce, but there are a handful of secrets that determine the difference between an OK pesto sauce, and an unforgettable one.
Firstly, you should aim to only use the freshest (organic if possible) ingredients available, and this is more often than not the biggest secret of delicious Italian cooking. Visit our Gourmet shop section to find a farm shop or deli near you. Now, let's take a look at the key ingredients:
Basil
The best basil to use is the young leaves of sweet basil, preferably the small-leafed variety, although large-leafed or Italian basil is often more widely available and will do as well. If the recipe calls for cups of basil (as opposed to grams) be sure the cups are tightly packed. When preparing the basil, shred the leaves rather than chop them because when basil leaves come into contact with metal they tend to turn a darker green. Shredding them ensures a bright green end product, which is what good pesto should look like.
Avoid rinsing the basil (or any other herb) under running water as this tends to strip the herb of its natural oils. Rather swish them gently in a basin filled with cold water and lay on paper towel to dry before using. Only the leaves are used; the stalks can be added to soups and removed before serving.
Rocket, coriander (with chillies), flat leaf parsley (with lemon juice, sun-dried tomatoes and almonds), young spinach and mint leaves are also sometimes used to make pesto, or used in combination with basil, as in Thai pesto. Purple basil gives the sauce an interesting colour, but could be a bit bitter. For more variations and combinations, see Tips & Tricks below.
Cheese
Purists will insist that a well-aged Pecorino is the only cheese to consider, but good quality Parmesan will do just as nicely. If you buy pre-grated Parmesan, make sure the label states 'no fillers added'. Best is of course to finely grate it yourself. All said, the great Italian epicurean authority, Marcella Hazan espouses "...it must have two cheeses to be made properly: Pecorino Romano and Parmesean in a 1:4 ratio.." If you feel like experimenting a little, try adding some blue vein or Feta cheese, but cut down on the salt.
Olive oil
The best quality, cold pressed virgin olive oil, preferably Italian, will do fine. Some like to add a pat or two of softened butter to the mix, and you can try it to see if you like it, but purists will certainly raise their eyebrows. Using walnut oil is also not unheard of.
Garlic
Garlic is one of the most important ingredients, and you should try to only use the freshest available. Adjust the amount of garlic according to your taste.
Pine nuts
Pine nuts, lightly toasted for best flavour, will result in the most classic pesto sauce, but they can be expensive. Types of nuts most commonly substituted are (unsalted) blanched almonds, macadamia nuts, pistachios, walnuts, cashew nuts, even peanuts (only if you are desperate). Some cooks use unsalted sunflower seeds, and it is worth a try.
Salt and pepper
Freshly ground black pepper and course sea salt add the final, perfect touches.
Putting it all together
Perfect pesto is not an over-processed uniform green sauce, but rather a rustic, nutty, garlicky one that allows each ingredient its rightful place in terms of colour, flavour and texture. So no, we don't advise you make it in a food processor, where the chances of overblending are just too great (unless you're in a big hurry). Rather, make them in your mortar and pestle, just like the Mamas still do in Italy, and you and your guests will be greatly rewarded with the real thing.
Crushing the garlic with the coarse salt using a pestle and mortar releases the garlic oils better, dissolves the salt and creates the texture necessary for a good paste. The handmade method also ensures that the basil leaves do not become dark (see above under Basil) and also ensures that the most flavour is released from the herb.
Or you could do it half-old fashioned, half-modern. Blend your salt, garlic and basil leaves using a mortar and pestle, transfer to a blender and add the cheese, nuts and olive oil, taking care not to blend too much.
Making pesto is not rocket science, and few traditional cooks in Italy would think of weighing or measuring the ingredients. In fact, the great fun about pesto is deciding on the proper proportions with which to combine these ingredients and whether to add any extras. As a general guide, 1 clove of garlic per bunch of fresh basil, a pinch of salt is a 'serious' pinch meaning a good 1/8 teaspoon. The amount of pine nuts used is again to your preference, but a small handful will be what fits in the hollow of your cupped palm. The amount of oil is whatever is enough to make a not too thick and not too thin paste, and is added at the end.
Remember, more or less of one ingredient or another will not affect the pesto but make it uniquely your own. If you're hesitant to plunge in and start blending, try Food24.com resident food expert Lannice Snyman's perfect pesto recipe first. Though she uses a food processor, you could just as easily make it by hand.
You can store freshly made pesto, covered with olive oil, in the refrigerator for a week or so (any longer and it may become bitter and lose colour), and it will also freeze well. But freeze it before adding the cheese, salt and pepper, which can be whizzed in before using. Allow to thaw completely before using or adding the cheese.
On Food24.com we have no less than 171 recipes using pesto. And a good number of recipes for different kinds of pesto. Such as: Broccoli and cashew nut pesto; Black olive pesto;
Coriander pesto;
Gingered beetroot and orange pesto;
Green pea and mint pesto;
Grilled Pepper pesto;
Parsley pesto;
Oven-dried tomato pesto;
Sun-dried tomato pesto and Thai pesto
Whether you make classic basil pesto, or one of the variations above, there are many, many ways to use this sauce other than over fresh pasta. For instance, it can be spread on Ciabatta; used as a coating for fish; to flavour prawns; served with beef rolls or burgers; added to Summertime soups; as a topping for pizza; drizzled over salads; used to fill green peppers or mixed into mayonnaise to add zing to potato salad.
Tips & tricks
Every village in Italy has its own way of shaping pasta. On the Ligurian coast they create flat, coaster-sized pasta shapes called 'silk handkerchiefs' because they're so light and delicate. The Genoese prefer a sharp, pungent pesto sauce which they serve with ravioli filled with veal and cheese. In many areas, the preferred pasta is trenette, a sort of plump local version of linguine. For a list of recipes on food24.com combining pasta and pesto, go to the advanced search page and type the words 'pasta' and 'pesto' into the ingredients search.
In Genoa it's traditional to boil a peeled potato along with the pasta. This potato is then chopped into chunks and tossed with the pesto and pasta. The Genovesi often add a few slivers of cooked string beans as well. Some cooks also add a bit of hot water from the pasta pot to dilute the pesto just before it is tossed with the noodles.
Grow your own, fresh organic basil. Visit Health24's herb section to learn how.
If the pesto is too thick to your liking, add a little bit of the water that you cooked your pasta in to it, or splash of dry white wine; even a dollop of cream.
Store fresh basil for later use by salting the leaves and placing them into a jar with a lid or sealable plastic container that is filled with either olive oil or vinegar.
Use pine nuts, cashews or macadamia nuts if you prefer, although pistachios are lowest in saturated fat and kilojoules.
Add black or green olives, capers or anchovies
Roast red peppers and blend into your pesto
Sun-dried tomatoes make a tasty pesto with great colour.
Stir a few spoons of pesto into risotto.
Mix a tub of cream or crème fraîche with a spoonful of pesto and pour over hot gnocchi.
Spread over bread and top with smoked chicken to make a fab sarmie.
Thin pesto down with more olive oil and lemon juice, and use as a dressing for a salad.
Mix pesto into mayo and fold into cooked potatoes to jazz up a potato salad.
Mix a little pesto with breadcrumbs and use to coat chicken breasts.
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10 things to do with pesto
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Tip of the day |
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Pound your pesto
The name pesto comes from the Italian verb pestare, which means means to pound. A food processor creams and purées, whereas using a pestle and mortar means you pound the mixture. This results in a better texture that's not too smooth and sophisticated, and a taste that is never bitter, which can happen when it's processed.
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