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Pesto is a simple Italian sauce made with basil, garlic, and olive oil, often with pine nuts and parmesan. It can be made with a blender or mortar and pestle, and can be frozen for later use.
Pesto is easy to make provided cooks own a blender or food processor. There are many recipes for this delicious Italian sauce, which can be used to season pasta or create an ideal dressing in soups and stews. The main ingredients of pesto are basil, garlic and olive oil. Other recipes add common additions like pine nuts, parmesan, and sometimes a dab of lemon juice.
It is possible to make pesto without a food processor or blender. This can be done with intense knife work to cut through ingredients, and some people employ a mortar and pestle. Indeed, the origin of the word refers to the term pesta which means to crush. The earliest forms of pesto, thought to have come from Northern Italy, probably would have always used the mortar and pestle to make the sauce. This labor-intensive practice is no longer necessary with modern kitchen appliances such as blenders and food processors.
It’s hard to give precise instructions for making pesto without probably offending some people who rely on old family recipes. In general, though, people will need a lot of fresh basil to make pesto. Basic proportions can include about two packed cups of chopped fresh basil to about a quarter cup (0.06 liters) of olive oil. The use of garlic varies and may be two or three cloves with such a recipe. Additions such as pine nuts and Parmesan amounts can also be about a quarter cup, as measured in a measuring cup.
Weight measurements on basil are hard to guess. Really, it depends on how much can fit in a cup. It will basically take several handfuls of chopped basil when using about a quarter cup of olive oil. Other quantities of ingredients can be higher or lower depending on your preference.
If using pine nuts, many recipes recommend first chopping the nuts, garlic, and olive oil in the food processor. Once they’re completely chopped, continue adding handfuls of washed, completely dry basil to the mix. The texture a cook should look for is a thick paste with small pieces of finely chopped basil. Using a pulse button on a food processor or blender can help achieve this.
The pesto can be used immediately. It can be slightly reheated but cooks should avoid overheating as this may make the bitter taste bitter. The mix can also be frozen for several months, and this can be a great way to access fresh tasting pesto when the basil isn’t in season.
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