This homemade Pesto Alla Genovese recipe makes an authentic Italian basil pesto that returns me to the Ligurian coast with every bite. It's super easy to make a small batch at a time so that you have just enough vibrantly fresh pesto to use in your recipe.
Servings6 tablespoons
Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ small garlic clove , peeled
- small pinch coarse sea salt , more to taste
- ½ packed cup fresh basil leaves
- 2 tablespoons pine nuts , lightly toasted
- ¼ heaping cup finely grated parmesan cheese (Parmigiano Reggiano)* , more to taste
- 3 tablespoons mild extra virgin olive oil , more to store
Instructions
- Bash the garlic clove with a small pinch of sea salt in a mortar with the pestle until the garlic resembles a smooth paste – I use about ⅛ teaspoon coarse salt.
- Tear in the basil leaves in stages, crushing and pounding the leaves to make room for the next few. Pound until you have a fairly fine, emerald green paste.
- Add the lightly toasted pine nuts and pound until there are no large chunks of pine nuts visible.
- Add the freshly grated parmesan cheese and pound again until you have a light green and creamy, thick paste.
- Slowly drizzle in the olive oil, stirring as you go, until well incorporated.
- Let the pesto sit for a few minutes for the flavours to come together, then taste and adjust with more parmesan, salt, or olive oil for the perfect flavour and consistency.
- Use the pesto sauce straight away or transfer it to an airtight container or mason jar, drizzle with a thin layer of olive oil and refrigerate until you're ready to use it.
Notes
- Oil: A mild-tasting olive oil works best, a very peppery-tasting olive oil can sometimes be overwhelming. You can also opt for a neutral oil like sunflower or avocado oil.
- Nuts: While pine nuts are the traditional pesto choice, they are very expensive. Explore some alternatives for pine nuts in pesto if you don't have any.
- Cheese: You can also use grated Pecorino Romano cheese. The most important is that it is freshly grated cheese.