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Delicious Homemade Pesto with Pine Nuts

You might not believe it, but I first ate pesto sauce from Liguria when I was 25 years old: I was astonished at its taste: fresh and delicious. Yes, I had never had it before! Why? It is simple. My family and I don't like garlic very much (that's the reason why you won't find it in my recipes)-I can't digest it, I wouldn’t say I like its taste, not even its smell. I had never felt like eating pesto before because of it. Then, some cooks decided to make pesto without garlic to meet the need of people like me. Delicious!
I know Genova people will hate me, but if you like garlic, you may add it to your taste.
It is a light recipe, but it contains oil, so season your pasta in moderation. The best pasta for pesto sauce? Fresh pasta such as trofie or trenette (I am going to talk about it). Short kinds of pasta fit pesto the best. 
Course Main Course
Cuisine Italian
Keyword homemade pesto, italian pesto, perfect pesto, pesto
Prep Time 30 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
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Ingredients

  • 3 cups of fresh basil with small, light green leaves; (60-70g)
  • 2 medium garlic gloves
  • 2 tbsp of pine nuts (about 16g)
  • 1/2 cup of grated Parmigiano Reggiano or Grana Padano cheese (40g)
  • 6 tbsp of salted grated Pecorino cheese (30g)
  • 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil  (1 dl)
  • coarse salt  

Instructions

  • Remove the basil leaves from the stems; gently wash the leaves under cold running water; do not fold them as they turn black easily;  
  • Spread the leaves onto a tea towel and dry them. They must be perfectly dry to make pesto; 
  • In a mortar, crush the garlic with some salt;
  • Add the basil along with all the ingredients except the oil;
  • Lightly toast the pine nuts in a skillet on the stove top for a few minutes until they turn golden brown (stir constantly); this will make a nuttier taste; 
  • Crush a few leaves of basil, adding only a few leaves at a time with long circular movements of the pestle until there’s a smooth and even paste;  
  • After crushing the basil, add the crushed garlic and pound the mixture until evenly blended. Add the cheese; 
  • and then the oil to bind the sauce and create a creamy paste;
  • Season with salt.