Nothing beats the freshness of pesto made within the comfort of your home. Originating from Genoa (northern part of Italy) in the 16th Century, the name Pesto originates from the Genoese word pestâ, which means to pound or to crush. While this refers to the way the sauce is prepared traditionally, with a mortar a pestle, the translation may be a bit misleading as pesto is made from grounding rather than pounding? The grounding action is meant to release the full aroma of the basil leaf; as such, it cannot be crushed.
For those of us who want to be traditional, feel free to use the mortar and pestle and ground to your heart’s desire by all means. However, when making pesto in large batches, I prefer to use the food processor. The downside of this though is that a bitter flavour will be released due to the motor blades of the food processor emulsifying the extra virgin olive oil and squeezing out the bitter tasting polyphenols (from the fatty acids that coat it and prevent it from dispersing). To overcome this, it is hence recommended to use the more tiresome mortar and pestle way, or simply substitute some water with the oil when using the processor and add the olive oil in a separate bowl with the processed mixture at the end. You could also simply ‘mask’ the bitterness by adding more cheese or garlic. Another shortcoming of the lazy food processor method is that it will tend to bruise the basil leaves. To overcome this problem, simply chop up the basil first with a sharp knife, then let the processor to the “combining work” with the rest of the ingredients.
Some other pesto making tips and suggestions:
- While basil is the core element, feel free to be adventures and ‘mix and match’ some alternative greens such as parsley, kale (not too much as this is bitter), or arugula. Choose one big, bold flavor, and fill out the rest with something milder, like parsley. Follow this rule of thumb: If you can eat it in a salad, you can probably use it to make a pesto.
- Feel free to experiment with nuts other than pine nuts (which get expensive). Think pistachio, walnut, pecans or cashews. Some handy advice: kale is great with almonds, and sweet pecans would be a fine match for spicy arugula.
- Go easy on the garlic. Garlic can be overpowering so add this slowly and taste as you pound / pulse. Remember that you can always add more garlic as you go but you can’t take any out!
- As for the cheese, feel free to use Pecorino Romano or classic Parmesan, but there is one rule you must follow: pestos need hard, salty, aged cheeses. Plus a little texture doesn’t hurt!
- To store pesto, cover it in a bowl with a film of plastic wrap set directly on top of the sauce or in an air tight jar. Refrigerate until you’re ready to use it. Note that it will freeze up to a week so be quick in using it. It also freezes beautifully (but for freezing, I would avoid adding the cheese while making it and adding it only when you are about to use it; i.e. just freeze the pesto without the cheese element in an ice cube tray, and defrost it then add the grated cheese when using fresh).
There are many ways to use pasta, on top of a creamy burrata or with scallops and prawns. My favourite way, however, is with pasta and you can refer to this prawn and pesto spaghetti recipe here.
I think that is enough about pesto from me. Now…who wants to go to the pesto festival in Cinque Terre with me?
