Behind the Recipes
Pesto Genovese (Basil Pesto) by Aaron Oster
Makes 4 servings
INGREDIENTS:
.75 clove of garlic, peeled and inner-stem removed
2 teaspoons Italian pinenuts
1.5 tablespoons grated Grana Padano, DOP or Parmigiano Reggiano
.75 tablespoon grated Pecorino Romano, DOP
.25 teaspoon course sea salt
2 cups of Basil leaves, cleaned, dried (smaller leaves closer to the stems are best)
2 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon of Ligurian Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
PREPARATION:
1. Take a clove of garlic and remove the skin, slice the garlic lengthwise and remove the inner-stem. Add 3/4 of the whole piece to the mortar, and smash with the pestle.
2. Add the pine nuts and smash the garlic and the nuts together until they form a slight paste.
3. At this point, add your basil leaves, and the course sea salt. As you smash the basil leaves, rotate the mortar with the opposite hand as you macerate the basil leaves with the pestle.
4. Continue to mash the ingredients together until they become a slightly homogenous paste, now add the cheeses and continue to incorporate the ingredients together. When you add the cheese, continue to rotate the mortar and use more of a circular motion with the pestle, using the sides of the mortar as well as the base of the well.
5. When the ingredients have formed a thick, emerald green paste, add the olive oil slowly (a tablespoon at a time), mixing the ingredients together, you may not need to use all the oil.
6. Your pesto is now ready for the pan, or the freezer.
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