Picked the last basil for this year, the last batch (~5 lbs.) of pesto until next spring is ready for the freezer (recipe in comments).
Picked the last basil for this year, the last batch (~5 lbs.) of pesto until next spring is ready for the freezer (recipe in comments).
by _qqg
4 Comments
actualchristmastree
Where’s the recipe OP!
_qqg
After years of trial and error, this recipe from a friend (who’s actually a judge in Genoa’s yearly Pesto contest!) never failed me. Quantities are metric, but proportions are not changing.
– for every 100g (3.5oz — it’s a lot of basil) basil leaves, possibly fresh from the garden and unwashed (or quickly rinsed and then patted dry with a towel) – 100g of parmigiano – 20g of pecorino – 40g pine nuts – 100g extra virgin olive oil – 2g of salt (or, adjust – a half garlic clove
the traditional procedure would be to work everything into a cream with a marble mortar and pestle, starting with the salt + garlic, then the basil, then the cheese, and finally the oil, adding the ingredients gradually. It’s a hell of a workout. Use a blender, the real Genoese do it as well and the Pesto Police won’t notice – the only caution is, be quick with the basil, lest it will ‘burn’ (never really got what it meant, might have to do with oxidization? – anyway, it’ll lose most of its flavour so should be buzzed as little as possible). Salt is variable depending on the cheeses, mostly — the end result should be savoury, not salty. For this batch I used Pecorino Romano, so I held back with the salt.
When this pesto is just made it’s … fine. Refrigerating it in a jar overnight and letting the flavours blend, will improve it by a lot.
When using it, scoop it into the bowl where you’ll be tossing your pasta*, add a generous spoonful of cooking water and a dash of oil, and whisk it into a cream with a fork. Then toss the pasta in it. If you want to go full Genoese, add some boiled potatoes in small chunks and some boiled green beans to the pasta (you can wash, cut and cook them with the pasta — potatoes take a while longer but if timed correctly, it can be a one pot operation).
*ideally Trofie, Reginette or Trenette, which are similar to Linguine if you want to be ‘appropriate’ – but any pasta will do, really.
JoeShoes84
I have the same IKEA containers for my pesto! Usually make it til February on my frozen stash. So many awesome meals in your future!!!
joicetti
Thank you kind sir or kind ma’am. I make pesto all the time but was sort of eyeballing the ingredients (which in my case are all the same except for the pecorino romano). That’s a good tip about making it the day before, I’ll give that a try and hopefully it will bring out the flavor a lot more!
4 Comments
Where’s the recipe OP!
After years of trial and error, this recipe from a friend (who’s actually a judge in Genoa’s yearly Pesto contest!) never failed me. Quantities are metric, but proportions are not changing.
– for every 100g (3.5oz — it’s a lot of basil) basil leaves, possibly fresh from the garden and unwashed (or quickly rinsed and then patted dry with a towel)
– 100g of parmigiano
– 20g of pecorino
– 40g pine nuts
– 100g extra virgin olive oil
– 2g of salt (or, adjust
– a half garlic clove
the traditional procedure would be to work everything into a cream with a marble mortar and pestle, starting with the salt + garlic, then the basil, then the cheese, and finally the oil, adding the ingredients gradually. It’s a hell of a workout. Use a blender, the real Genoese do it as well and the Pesto Police won’t notice – the only caution is, be quick with the basil, lest it will ‘burn’ (never really got what it meant, might have to do with oxidization? – anyway, it’ll lose most of its flavour so should be buzzed as little as possible). Salt is variable depending on the cheeses, mostly — the end result should be savoury, not salty. For this batch I used Pecorino Romano, so I held back with the salt.
When this pesto is just made it’s … fine. Refrigerating it in a jar overnight and letting the flavours blend, will improve it by a lot.
When using it, scoop it into the bowl where you’ll be tossing your pasta*, add a generous spoonful of cooking water and a dash of oil, and whisk it into a cream with a fork. Then toss the pasta in it. If you want to go full Genoese, add some boiled potatoes in small chunks and some boiled green beans to the pasta (you can wash, cut and cook them with the pasta — potatoes take a while longer but if timed correctly, it can be a one pot operation).
*ideally Trofie, Reginette or Trenette, which are similar to Linguine if you want to be ‘appropriate’ – but any pasta will do, really.
I have the same IKEA containers for my pesto! Usually make it til February on my frozen stash. So many awesome meals in your future!!!
Thank you kind sir or kind ma’am. I make pesto all the time but was sort of eyeballing the ingredients (which in my case are all the same except for the pecorino romano). That’s a good tip about making it the day before, I’ll give that a try and hopefully it will bring out the flavor a lot more!