Pesto alla Genovese

Basil pesto, you cannot get it wrong - it's so simple and so good! This sauce comes from Genova, the capital of Liguria in the North of Italy. 

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All you need is some fresh basil, garlic cloves, a good extra virgin olive oil, pine nuts, parmigiano and pecorino. Head to our food blog for advice on how to pick the best olive oil. 

​Makes 10 portions

Ingredients

• 100g basil (no stalks) 
• 1 clove of garlic
• 30g pine nuts
• 100g Parmigiano
• 80g Pecorino 
• 170ml extra virgin olive oil 
• 1/2 lemon juice
• Touch of salt 

Method
TIP. The traditional recipe uses a pestle and mortar but you can use a food processor.  The difference is that the speed of the machine and the engine will warm up the sauce therefore it will change the colour of your pesto to brown as the basil becomes warm. Our tip is to keep the food processor in the freezer for 10 mins before you start making your pesto as this will help keep the mixture cool and maintain a nice green colour to the sauce.
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1. Start toasting the pine nuts in a pan  for about 5 min on a low hit then let them cool down. 
2. Finely grate the parmesan and pecorino and skeep them on a side. Try not to get too excited with the cheese as this will change the consistency.
3. Add a touch of salt to the food processor, follow by the garlic, the basil and the pine nuts. Pulse several times. Scrape down the sides of the food processor with a rubber spatula to help and pulse several times more.
4. Now add  all the cheese, half of the olive oil, the lemon juice and blitz. While the food processor is running, slowly add the rest of the olive oil in a steady small stream. Adding the olive oil slowly while the processor is running will help it emulsify and help keep the olive oil from separating. Occasionally, stop to scrape down the sides of the food processor.
5. Taste your pesto and adjust with salt and olive oil if needed, until you have the perfectly smooth but thick consistency. 
6. ​This is a no-cook sauce. If used as a sauce for pasta, cook your pasta and add the pesto once this is cooked so that the heat of the pasta pan warms the pesto. but you can even use it as a dipping sauce or on toasted bread to make bruschetta. Save your pesto in the fridge for up to 7 days or freeze it into for up to a month.​

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