How can you use all that basil left over at the end of the summer? Homemade pesto is simple and versatile, but also very tasty. It is suitable for gourmets, in fact it can add a special touch to your favorite dishes! As the word implies, pesto is traditionally prepared by beating and pounding the ingredients. Read on to learn how to make the classic Genoese pesto, plus a few variations.
Ingrediants
- 3 full cups of fresh basil
- 1/4 cup of pine nuts
- 1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup grated cheese (Parmesan, Romano, etc.)
- 2 cloves of garlic (to taste)
- Salt and Pepper To Taste.
Steps
Method 1 of 2: Genoese Pesto
Step 1. Spread the pine nuts on a baking tray and toast them in the oven until they have turned golden
Place the pan under the grill or cook the pine nuts at 200 ° C for 5 to 10 minutes. Check often the degree of browning.
- Alternatively, you can toast them in a skillet over low or medium heat. Turn them often.
- Pine nuts burn easily, in fact it is not easy to roast. Be very careful, check them often, and turn them frequently. They burn out within seconds.
Step 2. Chop the garlic, cheese (if not already grated) and walnuts (optional)
Chop these ingredients before adding them to the food processor for a finer-grained pesto.
Step 3. Add the chopped ingredients and basil to the food processor
If possible, pour in the olive oil gradually as the food is chopped.
If you don't have a food processor, you can use a food processor or blender. The pesto will be smoother and less grainy with the robot
Step 4. Add salt and pepper to taste
Blend a little more after adding them.
Step 5. It's ready to serve
Method 2 of 2: Variants
Step 1. Prepare the pistou
It is a French variant of Provence prepared in a similar way, except for the pine nuts. Contains basil, garlic, olive oil and sometimes even cheese. Pistou is generally added to vegetable soups.
Step 2. Add a few mint leaves and almonds
Add these ingredients to the original Genoese pesto recipe, replacing the pine nuts with almonds that you can also not toast.
Step 3. Make Sicilian pesto, also called red pesto
It is a pesto similar to the traditional one, with the addition of tomato sauce, a smaller amount of basil and almonds instead of pine nuts.
Step 4. Make the Calabrian pesto
It is a cream that includes roasted red sweet peppers, pepper, sometimes aubergines and ricotta together with basil and tomato sauce. It has a distinctly spicy flavor.
Step 5. Make pesto with dried tomatoes instead of basil
For a very rich and sweeter pesto, combine the dried tomatoes with pine nuts, garlic and olive oil.
Step 6. Try replacing basil with other types of green leafy herbs
Although basil is the traditional ingredient in Italian pesto - used almost religiously in authentic Italian recipes - it is possible to experiment a bit, replacing it with:
- Rocket, for a very special pesto.
- Coriander, for a light, fresh pesto with a cleaner flavor.
- Wild garlic leaves, for the German pesto.
- Parsley, for a light and fresh pesto.
Step 7. Try replacing pine nuts with other types of nuts
Pine nuts are quite expensive, so some replace them with:
- Walnuts.
- Cashew nuts.
- Chinese pine nuts.
- Almonds.
Step 8. Finished
Advice
- When roasting pine nuts, keep an eye on them as they can burn easily within seconds. As soon as they look golden and you smell them, it means that they are toasted to perfection.
- Try using roasted garlic cloves instead of raw for a milder, sweeter flavor. To roast them, preheat the oven to 180 ° C, cut off the top of the garlic head, so as to expose the cloves. Place the garlic on aluminum foil, pour a little oil over the cloves, then wrap them completely in aluminum and let them roast for about 30 to 45 minutes. Just squeeze them gently to get them out of the skin.
- The pesto recipe is generally only a reference point, because you can adapt it to your tastes. Use more or less oil, garlic, or cheese. If you prefer, you can also add other types of nuts, such as walnuts
- Pesto can be frozen for use at any time. Make sure you store it in a vacuum-sealed container. This way, you can keep it in the freezer for several months. Freeze several quantities, maybe try making cubes with the ice tray. You can use the "cubes of pesto" to season the pasta!
- Serve the pesto as a cream on fresh bread, crackers, breadsticks, pizza, pasta, chicken or add a few spoonfuls to dress the salad. Free your imagination!
- You can use roasted walnuts instead of pine nuts. They are cheaper and if you roast them they add a particular touch similar to that of pine nuts. Any kind of dried fruit is great, be creative and experiment!
- Pesto can be made with many types of herbs. Also try arugula or cilantro.
- Add fresh parsley to the basil to give it a brighter color.
