Pesto - Marcella Hazan
- Ready In:
- 17mins
- Ingredients:
- 8
- Serves:
-
6
ingredients
- 2 cups fresh basil leaves, tightly packed
- 1⁄2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons pine nuts
- 2 garlic cloves, chopped fine before putting in the processor
- salt
- 1⁄3 cup parmesan cheese, freshly grated (parrmigiano-reggiano)
- 2 tablespoons pecorino romano cheese, freshly grated (or pecorino fiore sardo)
- 3 tablespoons butter, softened to room temperature
directions
- Briefly soak and wash the basil in cold water, and gently pat it thoroughly DRY with paper towels.
- Put the basil, olive oil, pine nuts, chopped garlic, and an ample pinch of salt in the processor bowl, and process to a uniform, creamy consistency.
- Transfer to a bowl, and mix in the two grated cheeses by hand. It is worth the slight effort to do it by hand to obtain the notably superior texture it produces.
- When the cheese has been evenly amalgamated with the other ingredients, mix in the softened butter, distributing it uniformly into the sauce.
- When spooning the pesto over pasta, dilute it slightly with a tablespoon or two of the hot water in which the pasta was cooked.
- Freezing pesto: Make the sauce through to the end of Step 2, cover with a layer of olive oil and freeze it without cheese and butter in it. Add the cheese and butter when it is thawed, just before serving.
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Reviews
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This is a superb recipe. I made it for the first time the other day here in southern Italy (Calabria). My Italian wife balked at the use of butter. But the result is a fine one indeed.<br/><br/>A few important caveats and ideas: 1. Be careful the way you grate the cheese if you are grating by hand. My advice is to grate it using the finest/smallest side of the cheese grater. If you opt for a slightly bigger grate, it affects the texture somewhat. Not enough to make it "bad", but probably in a way not in keeping with the recipe. Next time, I will grate it the finest way possible.<br/><br/>2. Consider putting the pine nuts in the oven on a sheet of aluminum foil or a pan for a few short minutes before using. That's my wife's customary pesto/pine nut preparation method over here. You want them cooked overhead just long enough to release some oils but not long enough to burn. Then let them cool before using. -- This is a variation on the recipe but you might find it's a good one.
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Not surprised by the use of butter. My father in law who is 100% Italian always puts a little bit of butter in his pesto. I've even seen him add a pat of cream cheese at the end. It adds slight creaminess to the pesto. Both ways are soooo delicious. I use lightly toasted walnuts instead of pine nuts. They are cheaper and taste just as good.
Tweaks
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Not surprised by the use of butter. My father in law who is 100% Italian always puts a little bit of butter in his pesto. I've even seen him add a pat of cream cheese at the end. It adds slight creaminess to the pesto. Both ways are soooo delicious. I use lightly toasted walnuts instead of pine nuts. They are cheaper and taste just as good.