Pesto alla Genovese

Pesto is really versatile and adds wonderful flavor to many things. My kids love Pesto alla Genovese on more than just pasta. They like to spread it on sandwiches, use it a dip for bread, or add it on top of caprese salad, steak or chicken. I even have a recipe that I use pesto when making baked eggs. Pesto is something I like to always keep on hand. 

My friend is from Italy, and she makes the most wonderful Pesto alla Genovese. I am sharing her go to recipe for pesto, and I feel so lucky that she shared her recipe with me. Actually, I only think she shared it with me because I was bugging her to make pesto for me all of the time. She would send me home with a jar, and it wouldn’t last long in my house. My friend makes the recipe without the garlic, but you can include it if you like. 

Ingredients:

80g fresh basil leaves
50g parmigiano whole, not grated
30g pecorino whole, not grated
30g pine nuts
1 garlic clove
150g extra virgin olive oil
salt to taste

Directions:

Rinse the basil leaves with cold water and and then leave them out to fully dry on a thin towel for several hours. You want to delicately handle the basil leaves so they don’t bruise. Make sure you don’t pat or roll them dry. The basil needs to be fully dry before starting to make the pesto. 

In the bowl of a food processor, combine the basil and salt. Process for a few seconds until you see that the basil is chopped. Add the parmesan cheese, pine nuts and garlic and pulse several times until mixed. Then while the food processor is running, slowly add the olive oil. When the pesto is finished, place it in an airtight container and cover the top with a thin layer of olive oil. This will prevent the pesto from darkening and also from becoming bad.