Many people enjoy using pesto on the foods that they eat. Classic pesto, which is also known as pesto alla Genovese is a bright green paste made from a combination of different ingredients. It can be used in many different dishes.
The traditional method of creating pesto illustrates why its name means 'to pound' or 'to crush'. A mortar and pestle is used to grind fresh leaves into a thick paste that is then thinned out with oil. Additional solid ingredients add flavor and body to the pesto and keep the mixture of ground herbs from being too thin and weak. When making pesto in a mortar and pestle it was often necessary to use coarse salt in order to grind the leaves up more quickly but you do not need to use salt when making up a batch of pesto in a food processor. The method you use is simply a matter of taste and your time limits as well.
A great pesto starts with a large quantity of fresh basil leaves. These are ground up and can be combined with herbs such as parsley, arugula and coriander. This can be a great way to add a little extra interest to your basic pesto recipe and you may find that a different combination of herbs will work better than others for certain dishes. If you travel around Italy you will find that regional variations may also use ingredient such as black olives or tomatoes as well as the basil and other herbs.
Garlic is essential to great pesto. Many people do not like a large amount of garlic and if this applies to you it is easy to add fewer cloves to your mixture. This is one situation where sampling the taste of your pesto can be helpful as it will allow you to control the flavor. Do not add all the garlic at once. Adding a few cloves and then tasting it is a good idea. You can always add more garlic but it is impossible to remove it to balance the flavor once it has been ground up and added to the mixture.
Nuts and cheese are also added to the pesto mixture. Pine nuts, almonds and cashews can all be used although pine nuts are the most traditional. In traditional recipes the only cheese to use is parmesan although other hard cheeses such as pecorino Romano can be used instead. These are ground up along with the herbs and garlic to form the basis of the pesto. The mixture can then be seasoned with freshly cracked black pepper. Because this mixture may be quite dry the next step is to add olive oil to the mixture. If this is done slowly, it is possible to control the texture and thickness of the pesto quite easily.
Although you may find that you use up your supply quite quickly you may wonder how long it can be kept before it spoils. If placed in an airtight container it will keep in a refrigerator for approximately fourteen days. If you have a very large supply as many people do after harvesting their basil at the end of the summer it can also be frozen. Then, all you need to do is thaw it before using it and it will still be tasty even if the color has changed somewhat.
If you want to use pesto alla Genovese but you are unsure of how to do so, you may want to start by adding it to pasta dishes. You can toss freshly cooked pasta in pesto or create a sauce that also includes cream or cheese. Stuffing it in meat dishes and using it on pizza are other delicious ways to use up your pesto supply.
Pesto alla Genovese
The traditional method of creating pesto illustrates why its name means 'to pound' or 'to crush'. A mortar and pestle is used to grind fresh leaves into a thick paste that is then thinned out with oil. Additional solid ingredients add flavor and body to the pesto and keep the mixture of ground herbs from being too thin and weak. When making pesto in a mortar and pestle it was often necessary to use coarse salt in order to grind the leaves up more quickly but you do not need to use salt when making up a batch of pesto in a food processor. The method you use is simply a matter of taste and your time limits as well.
A great pesto starts with a large quantity of fresh basil leaves. These are ground up and can be combined with herbs such as parsley, arugula and coriander. This can be a great way to add a little extra interest to your basic pesto recipe and you may find that a different combination of herbs will work better than others for certain dishes. If you travel around Italy you will find that regional variations may also use ingredient such as black olives or tomatoes as well as the basil and other herbs.
Garlic is essential to great pesto. Many people do not like a large amount of garlic and if this applies to you it is easy to add fewer cloves to your mixture. This is one situation where sampling the taste of your pesto can be helpful as it will allow you to control the flavor. Do not add all the garlic at once. Adding a few cloves and then tasting it is a good idea. You can always add more garlic but it is impossible to remove it to balance the flavor once it has been ground up and added to the mixture.
Nuts and cheese are also added to the pesto mixture. Pine nuts, almonds and cashews can all be used although pine nuts are the most traditional. In traditional recipes the only cheese to use is parmesan although other hard cheeses such as pecorino Romano can be used instead. These are ground up along with the herbs and garlic to form the basis of the pesto. The mixture can then be seasoned with freshly cracked black pepper. Because this mixture may be quite dry the next step is to add olive oil to the mixture. If this is done slowly, it is possible to control the texture and thickness of the pesto quite easily.
Although you may find that you use up your supply quite quickly you may wonder how long it can be kept before it spoils. If placed in an airtight container it will keep in a refrigerator for approximately fourteen days. If you have a very large supply as many people do after harvesting their basil at the end of the summer it can also be frozen. Then, all you need to do is thaw it before using it and it will still be tasty even if the color has changed somewhat.
If you want to use pesto alla Genovese but you are unsure of how to do so, you may want to start by adding it to pasta dishes. You can toss freshly cooked pasta in pesto or create a sauce that also includes cream or cheese. Stuffing it in meat dishes and using it on pizza are other delicious ways to use up your pesto supply.
Pesto alla Genovese
