Pesto Genovese (Recipe, Tips, Tricks And Its Uses)

Prepare the basil

When making pesto it’s essential that your basil leaves are completely dry. There are a few ways how you can prep basil for pesto.

• Wash basil quickly under cold running water an hour or more before making pesto. Shake off access water and place basil (still with stems) in a glass with water (to avoid wilting) and let air dry. When ready to use pinch off all the leaves and discard the stems.
• If you don’t have time to let basil air-dry you can gently wipe the leaves with a damp cloth and than again with a paper towel.
• If you are using homegrown basil it’s best to wash it while it’s still in the soil. Let air dry, cut the basil just before using it (make sure basil is not in direct sunlight a few hours before cutting or it’ll fade fast).

Making Basil Pesto In A Food Processor

Step 1: Cut garlic clove in half and remove the germ (core) if it has one.
NOTE: freshly picked garlic won't have it.

Place it in a food processor together with pine nuts and cheese. Pulse quickly until you get rough grainy texture. Make sure to scrape the bowl a few times.

Do NOT overpulse.

Step 2: Add basil leaves, salt and oil. Pulse quickly scraping the sides of the bowl. Add 1-2 ice cubes or oil cubes that you froze in advance.

Pulse again until you get the creamy paste. Make sure to stop a few times to avoid over heating. Scrape the side of the bowl as/if needed to blend all ingredients together.

Making Basil Pesto With Mortar & Pestle

Use young (small basil leaves), use marble or stone mortar and pestle. Avoid using wooden pestle.

The process of making Pesto Genovese with classic marble mortar and pestle is slightly different than making it in the food processor.

1. Remove the germ from the garlic clove. Cut garlic in smaller pieces, this will make it easier to smash. Work it with a pestle until you get a smooth paste.
2. Add pine nuts and mash them with garlic. As a result you should have creamy but still slightly grainy consistency.
3. Add a handful of basil leaves and salt grains. Crush the leaves performing rotating motion with the pestle or rotating the mortar itself. That’s the reason why some mortars have handle on the sides to help with rotation.
4. Once there’s room in the mortar add the next handful of basil leaves and continue to crush the leaves and add more until you’ve used up them all.
5. Lastly add half of all grated cheeses and a splash of extra virgin olive oil. Continue to blend all the ingredients and add more oil and cheese until you get the desired consistency and color. I find that when making pesto with mortar I use a little less of cheese and oil so don’t worry if you have to do the same.

How To Make Pesto That Never Turns Brown

While it's pretty easy to make pesto that keeps its bright green color in cold dishes, it's impossible to prevent pesto from turning brown when it comes in contact with hot ingredients, such as pasta.

But there's one trick you can use to make sure your pesto ALWAYS stays green. It's especially important when you plan to serve past al pesto to the guests. While the taste of pesto that turned brown will be the same (if not better!), we first eat with our eyes. This means, visually bright green pesto will be always the winner.

• Bring a pot of water to a boil. Drop ⅔ of all basil leaves in hot boiling water and cook for 5 SECONDS.
• Using a strainer remove the leaves from the pot quickly and immerse them in a bowl filled with cold water and ice to stop the further cooking process.
• Using your hands, squeeze the leaves gently but firmly to remove access water. Now they're are ready to be added to the blender with the remaining ⅓ of basil leaves that you left untouched.

In the fridge: Basil Pesto will keep in the fridge for 3-4 days stored in an airtight container. Make sure to cover pesto with a layer of extra virgin olive oil to prevent oxidation (loosing color).

In the freezer: It's possible to store your own homemade Pesto Genovese for winter. To do this fill small sized container with the quantity of pesto you usually use in your family. Rough estimate is 1 tablespoon of pesto per serving + 1 extra tablespoon for every 4 servings. I also love to freeze pesto in ice cube tray and once frozen store in the freezer in a zip-lock bag. This way you can defrost and as much or as little pesto as you need. Pesto will keep in the freezer for up to 6 months.

Ways To Use It

• Pasta and Soups. Pesto Genovese is a rather versatile sauce that can easily upgrade any dish with its unique flavor. It’s traditionally used to make pasta al pesto, particularly fresh trofie, trenette, linguine, and testaroli pasta.
  
  This sauce also works well with potato gnocchi to make famous Pesto Gnocchi, as a substitute for ragù for the ultimate veggie lasagne, and as a delicious seasoning in Genoese Style Minestrone.
• Appetizers. Basil Pesto is great not only with first courses. It works great as a topping for ricotta crostini or simply thinly spread on top of a slice of bread.
• Salads and Sides. Pesto Genovese pairs beautifully with vegetables like Potatoes and Green Beans. Make a sauce by mixing a spoonful of basil pesto with ⅓ cup of extra virgin olive oil.
  
  A spoonful of pesto can also take your frittata to the next level.
• Mains and More! For some more intriguing combinations, use Pesto Genovese to top pizza, stuff chicken breasts, or spice up sandwiches. It also makes a delicious sauce for grilled veggies and fish.