Authentic Basil Pesto Genovese

Pesto Genovese is a traditional basil pesto from the Italian region of Liguria, specifically from the city of Genova. It's made with simple ingredients: fresh basil, garlic, pine nuts, olive oil, salt, parmigiano reggiano and pecorino romano.

Course Appetizer

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 20

Servings cup

Calories 1660kcal

Author Pina Bresciani

Ingredients

3 ¼ cup (70g) fresh basil leaves
¼ cup (35g) pine nuts
1 garlic clove
coarse salt (pinch)
100 mL olive oil extra virgin
⅓ cup (30g) parmigiano reggiano grated
3 tbsp (15g) pecorino grated

Instructions

Wash the basil leaves

Wash the basil in a large bowl full of cold water, or fill the sink with water.
Place the basil on a large dish towel (or two) and let it dry. This will take awhile - about 3-4 hours.

Make the pesto

To a blender add the pine nuts, salt and garlic. Pulse a few times until blended together.
Add the basil and olive oil. Pulse again until basil is completely blended and a creamy texture starts to form.
Add the parmigiano and pecorino to the blender and pulse until blended into the pesto.
Use immediately, or place in a jar, top with olive oil and place in fridge or freezer.

Video

Notes

This recipe will yield ¾ cups of pesto - enough to dress about 300g of pasta
Add just a very small pinch of salt to the pine nuts and garlic - the parmigiano and pecorino will add enough salt
To prevent the pesto from oxidizing while you're making it, you can put the blender jug in the freezer for about one hour before making the pesto, pulse while blending the ingredients together instead of blending continuously, or even add an ice cube to the pesto while making it.
Even in the fridge, the pesto can still oxidize on the top (becomes a darker color, sort of like guacamole does), but below this surface layer it will remain bright green. To prevent the oxidation at the top, you can store the pesto in a jar as opposed to a bowl, so there is not much surface area at the top, meaning less of the pesto will oxidize. You can also cover the top of the pesto with olive oil, and this will help it to prevent from oxidizing at the top.
This recipe uses one clove of garlic. The flavors in pesto are meant to work together harmoniously. If adding too much garlic, the garlic may overpower the other ingredients. In the end it's up to personal preference, so if you'd like you can definitely add more garlic.
If you don't have pine nuts, you can use walnuts or pistachios instead

Nutrition