Name: Classic Genovese basil pesto
Prep time: 15 min
Total time: 15 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Mediterranean
Ingredients: 60 g fresh basil leaves (young, tender leaves only); 30 g pine nuts, lightly toasted; 2 small garlic cloves; 40 g Parmigiano Reggiano, grated; 20 g Pecorino Sardo, grated (or more Parmigiano); 120 ml extra-virgin olive oil (Ligurian if possible); ¼ tsp flaky sea salt

I

Ingredients for 4

Scale

60 gfresh basil leaves (young, tender leaves only)
30 gpine nuts, lightly toasted
2 smallgarlic cloves
40 gParmigiano Reggiano, grated
20 gPecorino Sardo, grated (or more Parmigiano)
120 mlextra-virgin olive oil (Ligurian if possible)
¼ tsp flaky sea salt

II

Method

I
Rinse the basil leaves gently, pat completely dry — bruised or wet basil turns muddy.
II
In a mortar, crush the garlic with the salt into a paste.
III
Add the pine nuts, pound to a coarse paste.
IV
Add the basil leaves a handful at a time, grinding with a circular motion (not pounding — that oxidizes them) until you have a bright green paste.
V
Work in the cheeses.
VI
Slowly drizzle in the olive oil, stirring with the pestle, until the pesto is loose but spoonable.
VII
Taste and adjust salt.

III

Notes & variations

If you must use a food processor, pulse briefly and use ice cubes to keep the blades cold — heat turns basil black. Store with a thin film of oil on top and use within 3 days, or freeze in ice-cube trays.

Culinary use only

This is a culinary recipe. It is not medical advice. Some plants have contraindications or interact with medication — check the linked plant profile before use, and consult a healthcare professional for medicinal questions.

IV

Featured from the herbarium

1 plant

Basil

Ocimum basilicum

main

V

More like this

With Fennel

Braised fennel with Parmigiano and lemon

Long, slow cooking transforms fennel from crunchy and licorice-sharp to meltingly sweet and mellow. …

With Sage

Brown butter and crispy sage sauce

The 5-minute Italian sauce for pumpkin ravioli or gnocchi. Nutty, aromatic, deeply satisfying.

With Rosemary

Slow-roasted rosemary and garlic potatoes

Crisp outside, creamy inside, deeply herbal. The technique borrows from the Italian tradition of dou…

With Garlic

Slow-roasted garlic confit in olive oil

Whole cloves cooked in olive oil until soft, sweet and spreadable. The cloves go on toast, into soup…

Explore further

All recipes Basil Edible parts index Contribute a recipe

❦❦❦❦

Endpaper · archive updates

Primește digest-ul săptămânal

Un email curat pe săptămână — profile noi de plante, note sezoniere de cultivare, adăugiri în arhiva de remedii. Gratuit, fără tracking, dezabonare oricând.