5-Minute Basil Pesto Recipe you’ll love
Quick and delicious recipe to make basil pesto with the official ingredients list for Genoa (and a shortcut to make it quick!)
Basil pesto is one of the best known and popular recipes from Italy.
Despite being often referred to as ‘Italian’ however, basil pesto originated in a very specific part of Italy, Genoa, and it is so traditional and significant of that area, there is an official recipe for it!
The recipe is public, and you can read it in the official documents here.
Today, I bring you how I make this at home. I use the very same recipe but I do something real geoese people would recoil at the mere idea of: I use an electric blender!
While I know this is considered terrible, as pesto should be done by hand with pestle and mortar, the result is nonetheless delicious and the speedier preparation means I actually make it!
Authentic Genoese Pesto Recipe Ingredients
- 50 grams (about 2 cups) fresh basil leaves
- Half a glass (about 4 tablespoons) extra virgin olive oil
- 6 tablespoons of grated Parmigiana Reggiano
- 2 tablespoons grated Pecorino cheese (if you do not have easy access to it, I often use parmesan only and it works nicely)
- 2 cloves garlic
- A few grains of sea salt
- 1 tablespoon pine nuts (optional, but traditional)
Good to know: like all local recipes, if we really wanted to fully follow the tradition, we’d need to use local ingredients, meaning basil DOP from Genoa, Parmigiana Reggiano DOP Olive Oil from Liguria or contiguous regions, pine nuts form Mediterranean pine trees. If you are not local (like me) you may not have access to these exact ingredients but the result will be delicious nonetheless! As close to the original as it gets!
How to make pesto the quick way
Wash the basil leaves gently in cold water and pat them dry using kitchen paper. Peel the garlic cloves.
In a food processor, add all your ingredients, then blitz quickly: you want the pesto be done in as little time as possible as this will ensure the blades do not gain heat (this would ruin the result).
Ta-dah! Without any further ado, your pesto is ready!
What to serve pesto with
Basil pesto is extremely versatile. You can serve is:
As a dip, with focaccia, which is also from Genoa
As a sauce for pasta: this is the most traditional way
As a filling for lasagne: lasagne al pesto are a local Genoese variation of the classic Bolognese ones and are delicious!
Best Pasta shapes for pasta al pesto
- Trofie (the most traditional)
- Spaghetti
- Linguine
- Farfalle
In general, long pasta works best but farfalle also give a good result.
Less suitable are shapes such as mezze maniche or rigatoni, as the pesto tend to gather inside them instead of just coating them, often giving a less pleasant flavour experience
Quick Basil Pesto Recipe: Pin this!
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