Fresh basil pesto
Fresh basil pesto is a fragrant green sauce that brings basil, olive oil, garlic, nuts and cheese together. Stir it into pasta or add it to a vegetable minestrone at the end of cooking.
- Ligurian kitchen
- Genovese-style pesto combines basil, extra-virgin olive oil, garlic, pine nuts, hard cheeses and salt.
- Texture
- A little pasta cooking water loosens a thick pesto into a sauce that coats the pasta.
Crush without rushing
For a mortar-made pesto, crush garlic and salt, then pine nuts and basil. Work in the grated cheeses and finish with olive oil. Keep the preparation brief to preserve the basil’s fresh character.
Add it at the finish
Toss with drained pasta, loosening the sauce with a little cooking water. For minestrone, stir it in after the vegetables and pasta have cooked.
Cook with it
Read the ingredients
Choose a basil pesto whose ingredients suit the dish. Check the nuts and cheeses on the label; a sauce’s green color alone does not tell you what went into it.
Follow the chilled-storage instructions
Follow the maker’s storage and use-after-opening instructions. Keep the container closed between uses and use a clean spoon.
