Pesto Genovese
September 3rd, 2008
Lunch, September 3, 2008. Just like a real Genovese I had potato chunks and green beans as well as pasta with my pesto.
It has taken all summer to get here, but the basil that survives is finally growing well and the snails seem to be tired of it, too. This is how I made one food processer worth of basil leaves into lunch and a frozen pesto packet.
Pesto Genovese
basil leaves to fill the food processor from 3/4 full to full
2-4 cloves of garlic– today’s were large so it was 2
some salt, today 1/4 teaspoon
great olive oil QB or however much it takes
a handful of pine nuts or walnuts — why do I say that? I have never used walnuts.
1 ounce of Parmigiano Reggiano, grated
Wash and dry the basil. It is said to be very important that the basil be thoroughly dried, whereas I believe it comes out of a salad spinner dry enough. Peel the garlic.
Start the food processor spinning and using the feed tube, drop in the garlic and let it mince. Stop the processor and put the basil in it. Use the pulse switch until the basil is all chopped into smallish pieces, then switch on to full power and start pouring olive oil in through the feed tube. Stop the machine once or twice to scrape the sides down. You can also see how much salt you want to use at the same time. Drop the pine nuts in and let them chop fairly finely. Add the grated cheese and continue to process. Add oil until you have a smooth, almost runny green slurry. Turn it off.
If you had been cooking the pasta, potatoes and beans while you processed, your lunch would be done. From going into the garden, through washing and drying the basil and processing the sauce, this is a fifteen minute project. It almost takes longer to grate the cheese.
Italian purists will tell you this is not pesto but frullato, because I did not make it in a mortar and pestle but in a frullatore. I don’t mind. It was really, really good!
It was so good I decided to send it to Presto Pasta Night, hosted this week by Abby of “Eat The Right Stuff”.
Entry Filed under: pasta, primo, vegetarian, Italian food, cucina, recipes, easy, cookery, sauce, herbs
10 Comments Add your own
1. Tina | September 4th, 2008 at 5:36 am
Pesto sounds wonderful right about now!
Here in Buenos Aires there is a really nice take on pesto (half of Buenos Aires descends from Italian immigrants - and there were plenty of Genovesi). I will make sure to post a recipe of the Argentine version as soon as my “verdulero” gets some more basil in.
It was great to see your name in the comments by the way! I’ll be back in Italy in the future, but for now it’s Argentina, which has more than its fair share of problems but has great, great tango ;-)
Besos! :-)
2. casalba | September 5th, 2008 at 11:06 am
I’ve been reading your blog for only a very short time, but long enough to understand you’re a superb cook. So I’m beginning to trust you… there’s just something about potato AND pasta that doesn’t sit well with me. Guess I’m just not Italian enough (yet).
3. admin | September 5th, 2008 at 11:27 am
Hang on, my favorite Peruvian dish combines potato and rice! You can’t understand how very much flavor one of these has until it is served with another item people think doesn’t taste like much. It’s absolutely amazing how strongly they contrast.
4. abby | September 5th, 2008 at 3:55 pm
lovely pesto, i\\\’m working my way througha jar of homemade basil oil at the moemnt and am also loving it with beans and/or potatoes.
thanks for sharing with ppn.
5. Scintilla | September 5th, 2008 at 4:11 pm
I made this in summer!
I thought that I’d invented it - obviously not. Does it come from Liguria?
6. admin | September 5th, 2008 at 4:23 pm
Yes, ma’am, it surely does. Every time I come up with an “original ” recipe I brace myself to hear someone’s granny has done it that way forever. You can only do what is new to you and think it might be new in general.
7. Fern Driscoll | September 8th, 2008 at 1:10 pm
There’s a cheese here in Rapallo called Prescensoa (but pronounced in Genovese, which is impossible!) - The Rapalline stir a little into their pesto - it adds another layer of richness and interest.
8. admin | September 8th, 2008 at 7:53 pm
I am so irked that I will probably never even taste that! Hi Fran, nice to meet you.
9. Alison | September 13th, 2008 at 5:50 pm
With an 11 minute pasta, potatoes and zucchini it’s a great one pt meal too - all chucked in together and topped with Judith’s pesto! For those of you who still eat carbs…..
10. admin | September 14th, 2008 at 9:53 am
@Alison:
If I understood this, I probably would agree.
Leave a Comment
Some HTML allowed:
<a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <code> <em> <i> <strike> <strong>
Trackback this post | Subscribe to the comments via RSS Feed