The pesto sauce appeared in the northern Italian region of Liguria in 1863 - it was first mentioned by Giovanni Battista Ratto in the Genoa Cookbook. Then the sauce was made from basil leaves, olive oil, hard cheese and pine nuts - all the ingredients were carefully ground in a marble mortar.
By the way, today the recipe has not undergone significant changes. True, many chefs use a blender instead of a mortar, and also add new products, for example, garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, spinach, less often mint, parsley and even beet tops. Here are three popular recipes for pesto sauce that will suit both lovers of traditional taste sounds and those who are ready to experiment in the kitchen.
Basil pesto
Ingredients:
- Fresh basil 30 g
- Parmesan 50 g
- Pine nuts 50 g
- Garlic 2 cloves
- Olive oil 3-4 tablespoons
- Salt to taste
It is allowed to replace half of the basil with spinach - this will give the sauce new and unusual notes.
Cooking method:
Peel the garlic, grind it in a mortar with salt. Heat pine nuts in a pan without oil, grate Parmesan. Finely chop the basil leaves and grind in a mortar (if there is no mortar, it is permissible to use a blender at a low speed). Add a lot of herbs to the garlic, pour in the olive oil. Then you can add Parmesan.
Sun-dried tomato pesto
Ingredients:
- Sun-dried tomatoes 100 g
- Fresh tomato 1 pc.
- Pine nuts 50 g
- Garlic 1 clove
- Basil 2-3 leaves
- Olive oil 3-4 tablespoons
- Parmesan 50 g
- Paprika 1 tsp
Cooking method:
Put sun-dried tomatoes, fresh tomato, garlic, basil leaves and pine nuts in a blender (the nuts can be pre-fried in a hot frying pan without oil). Beat all the ingredients, gradually pouring in the olive oil.
Add the parmesan and paprika and beat again for 30-40 seconds. Important: it is necessary to whisk at the lowest speed so that the sauce does not turn into porridge - the ingredients should not have a uniform consistency.
Pesto sauce with cilantro and chili
Ingredients:
- Cilantro 2 bundles
- Almonds 100 g
- Chili flakes 1 pinch
- Olive oil 5 tablespoons
- Red onion 1 onion
- Salt
Cooking method:
Peel the almonds and lightly fry in a hot frying pan without oil. Then chop it, send it to a blender along with chopped onions and cilantro, as well as chili and salt. Whisk the ingredients on low speed, gradually pouring in the olive oil.
You can store the sauce in the refrigerator for 4-5 days.
The prepared sauce can be added to pasta, salads, used as a base for pizza, spread on a slightly toasted baguette. An ideal addition to green pesto would be dry white wine - varieties such as soave, gavi are suitable. The flavor of red sun-dried tomato pesto will set off red wines like merlot (see also: 10 Food and Wine Pairing Tips from a Sommelier).
Photo: Getty Images
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