Italy · Pasta & noodles
Pesto alla genovese.
Basil, pine nuts, garlic, cheese and olive oil. The Genoa way, with pasta, potatoes and green beans.
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The story of pesto.
Pesto comes from Genoa, in Liguria, and its name comes from “pestare”, to crush: it was traditionally made in a marble mortar with a wooden pestle. One of the first written recipes appears in a Genoese cookbook from 1863.
In Liguria, pesto is often served with trofie, small twisted pasta, cooked in the same pot with potatoes and green beans. The potato makes the sauce extra creamy.
Origin: Liguria, Italy
Where to find the ingredients in the US.
- Basil: use young, bright green leaves. Large, old leaves can taste of mint.
- Pine nuts: Italian or Mediterranean pine nuts are worth the price.
- Olive oil: choose a mild, delicate oil, like those from Liguria.
Three steps. That’s it.
What each stage should look like.
Step 1
Crush garlic and nuts.
Pound garlic and pine nuts with a pinch of coarse salt into a paste.
Step 2
Add the basil.
Crush the leaves with a circular motion, then add cheeses and oil.
Step 3
Toss and serve.
Combine pesto with trofie, potatoes and green beans and a splash of cooking water.
Illustrations created with AI
Recipe
Pesto alla genovese.
Prep 20 min · Cook 15 min · Total 35 min
Ingredients
- fresh basil leaves
- pine nuts
- garlic, green germ removed
- coarse salt
- Parmigiano Reggiano, finely grated
- Pecorino (Fiore Sardo or Romano), finely grated
- mild extra-virgin olive oil
- trofie or linguine
- medium potato, peeled and diced
- green beans, cut in pieces
Instructions
- Wash the basil and dry it completely between kitchen towels.
- In a mortar, pound the garlic, pine nuts and coarse salt into a paste. (Or pulse them in a chilled food processor bowl.)
- Add the basil a little at a time and crush it with a circular motion against the sides of the mortar, until creamy. Stir in the cheeses, then the olive oil in a thin stream.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the potato and cook for 5 minutes, then add the pasta and green beans and cook until the pasta is al dente.
- Loosen the pesto with 2–3 tablespoons of cooking water. Drain the pasta and vegetables.
- Toss everything with the pesto off the heat and serve right away. Never cook pesto.
Sources consulted: Gambero Rosso. Our own text, with US and metric measurements.
What you’ll need.
Marble mortar and pestle.
The traditional way, and the creamiest pesto.
Mini food processor.
The quick option: pulse, never blend.
Salad spinner.
To dry the basil completely.
