Pasta with Pesto

17/11/2023

Pasta with pesto is a classic dish from Ligurian cuisine, but as every good Italian knows, it is widely appreciated and spread throughout the country. Here’s how you can prepare it:

Ingredients

320 g of pasta (trofie, linguine or spaghetti are great with pesto)
2 bunches of fresh basil (about 50 g of leaves)
2 cloves of garlic
30 g of pine nuts
60 g of grated Parmesan cheese
20 g of grated Pecorino cheese
100 ml of extra virgin olive oil
Coarse salt to taste

Preparation

First, carefully wash the basil leaves in cold water and gently dry them with a cloth without rubbing to avoid darkening.
In a mortar, start crushing the two cloves of garlic with a pinch of coarse salt until they are creamy.
Add the basil leaves and continue to pound with circular movements. When the basil begins to release a light green liquid, it’s time to add the pine nuts.
After the pine nuts, incorporate the cheeses, Parmigiano and Pecorino, which will help to bind everything together.
Gradually pour in the extra virgin olive oil, continuing to work the pesto in the mortar until the desired consistency is reached.
Bring a pot of plenty of salted water to a boil, cook the pasta al dente and reserve some of the cooking water.
Drain the pasta and keep a few tablespoons of the cooking water.
Dress the pasta with the pesto, adding some of the cooking water if necessary to make the sauce more fluid and to help distribute it evenly.

Remember to work the pesto as little as possible with metal utensils, as oxidation could compromise its color and flavor. Using a marble mortar with a wooden pestle is the traditional method, but if you lack these tools you can use a blender or a mixer, being careful not to overheat the basil.

Curiosity

Genoese pesto has its own protected designation of origin (DOP) and its recipe has been deposited by the Liguria Region at the Chamber of Commerce of Genoa, to protect and promote this culinary tradition.