It’s so easy to make Italian-style Homemade Pesto that you’ll want to make it every single night. I’m not joking. Homemade Pesto really is one of the easiest things to make… ever.
Pesto originated in Genoa, a town in Northern Italy around the 16th century. It blends simple ingredients that are easily found in that region to make one of the most delicious sauces you’ve ever tasted. Pesto gets it’s name from the Italian verb pestare, which means “to pound” …as pesto was traditionally made with a mortar and pestle. Now, though, we have food processors which do the work with the flip of a button.
Watch the video for the Homemade Pesto Recipe
Because homemade Genovese-style Pesto has just a few ingredients, you want these ingredients to be as fresh as possible. You can buy fresh basil from the grocery store, but for about the same price, you can buy a small basil plant. Basil is easy to grow in the ground in most warm climates … or even in a pot if you live in a condo like I do. Within a few short weeks, you’ll have enough basil to make your first batch of pesto.
If you’re going to serve this over pasta, go ahead and put the water on to boil before you do anything else. The recipe is so simple that the Homemade Pesto will be done long before the pasta is cooked
The olives and cheese are both quite salty, so you probably won’t need to add salt. At this point, taste it and see what you think. Add a bit of black or red pepper or crushed garlic to make it zestier.
The measurements don’t have to be precise. I just eyeball it.
When your pasta is ready, drain the noodles and add the pesto and serve immediately. You can garnish it with more cheese, more pine nuts and a sprig of basil. Voila… a gourmet dinner in less than 20 minutes. Now add a glass of Pinot Grigio and you’ve turned a quick dinner into date night.
It tastes best fresh, so make it in small batches. If you want to make a bigger batch, you can freeze it or mix it with cream cheese and more pine nuts for one of the yummiest dips you’ve ever tasted.
Let me know how it goes in the comments below.
Homemade Pesto Recipe
1/2 – 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup pine nuts
1 cup Parmesan cheese (about 4-5 ounces)
1/2 cup Kalamata olives
1/4 tsp. black pepper
- Remove the basil leaves from the stems and then rinse them thoroughly .
- Cut the cheese into chunks and put them in the food processor. It’s important to put the cheese in the food processor first so the cheese is finely ground. Because there are only a few ingredients, splurge on imported Reggiano-Parmigiano cheese that’s been aged a few years. When cheese is aged, the flavor is more intense.
- Add the rest of the ingredients to your food processor and blend until it’s a smooth paste. Scrape down the sides and then pulse it a few more times.
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