色中色

色中色made pesto is one of the simplest, freshest, and most rewarding sauces you can make, a little green magic that brings the flavour of Italy straight to your kitchen. The classic basil pesto is called 'Pesto alla Genovese' and comes from Liguria, a coastal region in the north west of Italy. It is traditionally made with a pestle and mortar (taken from the verb 'pestare' meaning 'to pound or crush'), hence the name 'pesto'.

Traditional Tips:
Basil freshness is key - Use freshly picked, small leaves and avoid large or bruised leaves as they taste more bitter.
Keep it cool: Heat is the enemy of fresh pesto. Don鈥檛 let your ingredients warm up and don't handle them too much.
Don鈥檛 overwork it: The beauty of the traditional method is that it keeps the flavours distinct yet blended. A food processor emulsifies too aggressively.

Making pesto in a processor:
If you don't have a pestle and mortar, enough time or enough strength, then a pretty decent pesto can be made in a processor using the ingredients listed above. Blend the basil, pine nuts, salt and garlic first until roughly chopped, add the cheeses and pulse until all ingredients are combined. Finally drizzle in the olive oil, whilst blending, until you reach a creamy consistency.

How to store pesto:
If you are not using the pesto immediately then place it in an airtight container, pour a thin layer of oil over the top and store it in the fridge. It keeps up to 2 weeks.

How to use pesto:
Tossed with pasta, traditionally linguine, but any pasta of your choice is fine.
In sandwiches or on bruschetta.
On pizza rather than tomato sauce.
In mashed potato or drizzled over boiled new potatoes.
With cold chicken or other cold meats.
With grilled vegetables.

In Liguria, a good spoonful of the pasta water is added when stirring the pesto and linguine together. Another iconic dish from the region is pasta with boiled potatoes, green beans and pesto.