Pesto a la Genovese

                                        Pesto a la Genovese

Pesto a la Genovese is a classic in Italy. You may know it as green Pesto or just Pesto (but there are other Pesto's out there too) You can use the traditional ingredients but you can also play with Spinach instead of Basil or walnuts instead of Pine nuts. It's also very yummy.

This is what you need:

- a very, very generous amount of Basil (at least 3 hands full, the more the better)

- around 40 gr. of grated Parmigiano 

- 2 gloves of Garlic (or more if you have more then that)

- 1/2 a bag or 2 TBSP of Pine nuts

- Salt

- Olive Oil (a good one)

This is how you do it:

In a frying pan, add the Pine nuts without anything else and carefully pan sear it until they are golden brown and smell. Be careful. That goes pretty fast. Now add all dry ingredients (but the salt) into a good blender and mix it as fine as you can. Now gradually add Olive oil until it forms a nice paste and sits like pudding on your spoon. You don't want it to flow like water but you don't want a paste either. Add salt to taste.

You can put the Pesto on literally everything. If you are using it for Pasta, always, ALWAYS keep some Pasta water in a separate measuring cup and add gradually to your Pasta-Pesto mix. Starch water and the Olive Oil will create this creamy sauce we all love so much. Otherwise it will be just to dry. 

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