Pesto

• porciones: 1 cup of pesto
• tiempo activo: 30 minutes
• tiempo total: 30 minutes

Ingredientes

2 medium cloves garlic (10 g)

2 tablespoons pine nuts (about 1 ounce; 30 g)

3 ounces basil leaves (85 g), from about a 4-ounce bunch, washed with water still clinging to the leaves (about 4 cups basil leaves)

Coarse sea salt, as needed

1 ounce grated Parmigiano Reggiano

1/2 ounce Pecorino Romano

3/4 cup (175 ml) mildly flavored extra-virgin olive oil

Instrucciones

Using a marble mortar and wooden pestle (see note), pound the garlic to a paste.

Add pine nuts and continue to crush with pestle, smashing and grinding them, until a sticky, only slightly chunky, beige paste forms.

Add basil leaves a handful at a time and pound and grind against the walls of the mortar. Add pinch of salt with each handful to act as an abrasive. Continue until all basil leaves have been crushed to fine bits.

Add both cheeses, then slowly drizzle in olive oil, working it into the pesto with the pestle until a fairly smooth, creamy, emulsified sauce forms. Add more oil, if desired.

Pesto can be served with pasta right away or transferred to a jar or container, covered with a thin layer of olive oil, and sealed and refrigerated overnight.

Notas

If you can't find Pecorino Fiore Sardo, you can use Pecorino Romano instead, but increase the Parmigiano-Reggiano to 1 ounce, and cut the pecorino to 1/2 ounce (see original recipe https://www.seriouseats.com/best-pesto-recipe).

If you want to use a food processor, you will still end up with a very good pesto using this ratio of ingredients. Just pulse the garlic, salt, and pine nuts together first, then add the cheese and follow with the basil; stir in the oil.

To serve this pesto on pasta, toss the sauce with the drained noodles off the heat, adding a little reserved pasta-cooking water to help bind it all together. Adding pieces of cooked new potato and green beans to the pasta is a traditional Ligurian touch.

Pesto can be stored in an airtight jar or container, covered with a thin layer of olive oil, and refrigerated overnight or frozen for up to six months.