Chef Graziella
Agrodolce alla Siciliana
The sweet-sour sauce that proves Sicily is where East meets West, where Arab traders left their mark on Italian cooking. A syrup of vinegar and honey, studded with pine nuts and raisins.
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Pesto alla Genovese
Created by
The green sauce of Genoa, pounded by hand until basil leaves surrender their fragrant oils without a trace of bitterness. What the blender destroys, the mortar preserves.
Sauces & Condiments
Italian, Ligurian
Weeknight
Make Ahead
Freezer Friendly
25 min
Active Time
0 min cook•25 min total
YieldAbout 1 cup, enough for 1 pound of pasta
Pesto means pounded. Not processed, not blended, not buzzed in a machine that heats the basil and turns it bitter within seconds. The mortar and pestle exists for a reason. When you crush basil leaves against stone with a wooden pestle, you bruise the cells and release their oils gently. When you spin them in a blade, you shred them, generate heat through friction, and oxidize the chlorophyll before it reaches the bowl. The color tells the truth: hand-pounded pesto stays bright. Machine pesto turns army green.
The Genovesi are particular about their pesto, and they have earned the right. The basil of Prà, a small district west of Genoa, grows in the salt air of the Ligurian coast and produces leaves so tender and fragrant that other basils taste coarse by comparison. You may not have access to this basil. Use the youngest, smallest leaves you can find, preferably grown in poor soil. Rich soil makes big, tough leaves with less flavor.
I will tell you now that this takes time. Fifteen minutes at the mortar, perhaps twenty. Your arm will tire. This is the price of doing things properly. If you are not willing to pay it, you are not ready for pesto alla Genovese.
Pesto appeared in Genoa in the mid-19th century, though its ancestor, agliata, a garlic and walnut sauce, dates to medieval times. Basil replaced walnuts as the dominant ingredient only when Ligurian farmers began cultivating it intensively in the coastal hills. The sauce remained a local secret until after World War II, when tourism brought visitors to the Riviera and they carried the recipe home.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
fresh basil leaves
Quantity
2 cups tightly packed (about 2 ounces)
young and tender, washed and thoroughly dried
garlic
Quantity
2 cloves
pine nuts
Quantity
2 tablespoons
coarse sea salt
Quantity
1/2 teaspoon, plus more to taste
Parmigiano-Reggiano
Quantity
1/4 cup
freshly grated
Pecorino Fiore Sardo or Pecorino Romano
Quantity
2 tablespoons
freshly grated
extra virgin olive oil
Quantity
1/2 cup
preferably Ligurian
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| fresh basil leavesyoung and tender, washed and thoroughly dried | 2 cups tightly packed (about 2 ounces) |
| garlic | 2 cloves |
| pine nuts | 2 tablespoons |
| coarse sea salt | 1/2 teaspoon, plus more to taste |
| Parmigiano-Reggianofreshly grated | 1/4 cup |
| Pecorino Fiore Sardo or Pecorino Romanofreshly grated | 2 tablespoons |
| extra virgin olive oilpreferably Ligurian | 1/2 cup |
Equipment Needed
- •Large marble mortar (at least 6-inch diameter) and wooden pestle
- •Salad spinner for drying basil
- •Microplane or fine grater for cheese
Instructions
- 1
Prepare the basil
Wash the basil gently in cold water and dry it completely. This is critical. Water on the leaves will dilute the pesto and encourage oxidation. Use a salad spinner, then spread the leaves on a clean towel and let them air-dry for at least 30 minutes. The leaves must be absolutely dry before they touch the mortar.
- 2
Crush the garlic and salt
Place the garlic cloves and coarse salt in the mortar. Pound and grind with the pestle, using a rotating motion against the sides of the bowl, until the garlic becomes a smooth paste. The salt acts as an abrasive. This takes two to three minutes. The paste should have no visible chunks.
Two cloves of garlic, no more. The unbalanced use of garlic is the single greatest cause of failure in would-be Italian cooking. In pesto, the basil must dominate. - 3
Add the pine nuts
Add the pine nuts to the mortar. Pound them into the garlic paste until they are completely broken down and incorporated. You should see no whole pieces. The mixture will become slightly creamy from the oils in the nuts. This takes another two to three minutes.
- 4
Pound the basil
Add the basil leaves a handful at a time. Press each addition against the sides of the mortar with the pestle, using a gentle grinding motion rather than violent pounding. The leaves should be bruised and crushed, releasing their oils, not shredded or torn. Work each handful into a paste before adding more. This is the longest step, ten to fifteen minutes. Your arm will protest. Continue.
The motion is circular and pressing, not up and down. You are extracting oil from the cells, not making baby food. If you pound too aggressively, you will heat the basil and lose the bright flavor. - 5
Incorporate the cheeses
When the basil has become a uniform green paste, add the grated Parmigiano-Reggiano and Pecorino. Work them in with the pestle until fully incorporated. The mixture will become thicker and more cohesive. The two cheeses serve different purposes: Parmigiano provides depth and sweetness, Pecorino adds sharpness and salt.
- 6
Add the olive oil
Add the olive oil in a thin, steady stream while stirring continuously with the pestle or a wooden spoon. The pesto should emulsify into a thick, bright green sauce that clings to the spoon. Taste and add more salt if needed. The finished pesto should be vibrant, fragrant, and slightly coarse in texture. This is correct. Smooth pesto comes from machines.
Ligurian olive oil is mild and buttery, not peppery or grassy. A Tuscan oil will fight with the basil. If you cannot find Ligurian oil, use the gentlest, most delicate oil you have. - 7
Serve or store
Use the pesto immediately for best color and flavor. To store, transfer to a jar and pour a thin layer of olive oil over the surface to prevent oxidation. Press plastic wrap directly onto the surface before sealing. Refrigerate for up to one week. The color will darken slightly. This is unavoidable but does not significantly affect flavor.
Chef Tips
- •The basil must be young. Large, mature leaves have tougher cell walls and more bitter compounds. If your basil plant has flowered, the leaves are past their prime. Seek out plants that have been pinched back to prevent flowering.
- •Do not toast the pine nuts. This is not a universal rule for pine nuts, but for pesto it is essential. Toasting adds a different flavor that overwhelms the fresh basil. Raw pine nuts provide sweetness and fat without competing.
- •If you truly cannot manage the mortar, you may use a food processor with great reluctance. Pulse briefly, never run continuously. Add the oil last, by hand, stirring it in. The result will be inferior, but edible. Do not tell anyone I permitted this.
- •In Genoa, pesto is tossed with trenette or trofie, not spaghetti. A spoonful of the pasta cooking water, starchy and hot, goes into the serving bowl first. The pesto is added and stirred, then the pasta. The cheese is already in the sauce, so none is added at the table. This is the Genovese way.
Advance Preparation
- •Pesto is best used the day it is made. The bright, fresh flavor fades within hours.
- •For longer storage, omit the cheese and freeze the basil-pine nut-garlic-oil mixture in ice cube trays. Thaw and stir in freshly grated cheese before using. The cheese does not freeze well.
- •The pesto will keep, covered with oil and plastic wrap pressed to the surface, for up to one week in the refrigerator. Accept that the color will darken.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 29g)
Calories
155 calories
Total Fat
16 g
Saturated Fat
3 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
13 g
Cholesterol
5 mg
Sodium
230 mg
Total Carbohydrates
1 g
Dietary Fiber
0 g
Sugars
0 g
Protein
2 g
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