Classic pesto pasta recipe
Try this classic pesto pasta recipe, easy to make and so delicious!
Pesto is known and eaten all around the world, but most of the time it’s far from resembling the classic recipe. The type of cheese used, the type of basil, and olive oil. All those ingredients can significantly change the final taste of the pesto.
Even in Italy, many people do not use the classic pesto recipe. Mostly because the traditional recipe is made with a pecorino cheese you can only find in Liguria. It also includes a specific type of basil that only grows in the area.
This does not mean that a simple pesto recipe is not good, or that you cannot achieve a great result swapping the ingredients. Italian cooking is mostly about making do with what you have, and this is no exception.
Pesto can be made in large batches when basil is in peak season and then frozen in a ziplock back, flattened.
A brief history of Pesto
Pesto alla Genovese, comes from Genoa in Liguria, Italy, and is one of the region’s most famous dishes. The word pesto comes from the Italian word for “to pound” or “to crush,” which is how they used to make it with a mortar and pestle.
For some the history of Pesto seems to date back to ancient Rome. Back then soldiers ate the first pounded sauce in history: moretum. a mix of cheese, garlic herbs and nuts. The version we know today, instead, was born in the 19th century, when basil became the star ingredient. Genoa’s coastal climate made basil super abundant. When they mixed it with local ingredients like extra-virgin olive oil, pine nuts, garlic, Parmesan (or Pecorino), and salt, they created the perfect pesto recipe.
Over time, pesto spread all over the world, becoming a global sauce with lots of different variations (like using walnuts instead of pine nuts, or different greens like arugula or kale). But authentic Pesto Genovese is still protected under Italian food tradition laws (DOP). The classic recipe is still made with a marble mortar and pestle.
How to use pesto
Traditionally, pesto was eaten with trofie or trenette pasta, a combo that’s still popular today. If you do not know trenette, they are flat spaghetti, very similar to linguine.
Another traditional recipe using pesto is pasta with pesto, potatoes, and green beans. Bring water to a boil then add potatoes and green beans. Cook for a few minutes then add the pasta. When cooked, drain it and put it back into the pan or in a bowl and mix in the pesto.
Classic Pesto pasta recipes and variations
You can make pesto with pretty much whatever you like. If you cannot find pine nuts (in Italy they are extremely expensive), you can use cashews, almonds, or walnuts. They all work just great.
Cheese should be Parmigiano or Grana Padano, mixed with some pecorino. But you can use only one; that’s okay too. Some add ricotta to make the pesto smoother and richer.
You can make pesto with a lot of other herbs and greens. Try arugula, kale, or spinach. In Sicily, there is also a recipe called pesto rosso, made with tomatoes and ricotta.
To make it even healthier, I usually use fermented garlic, this will enhance the probiotic content of your pesto.
Classic pesto pasta recipe
Ingredients
- 40 gr basil leaves
- 1 garlic clove
- 50 ml extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon pine nuts or cashews, almonds, walnuts
- 30 gr parmigiano
- 10 gr pecorino
- a pinch of coarse salt
- 320 gr of pasta of your choice
Instructions
- Bring enough water to a boil to cook the pasta
- when the water boils, add salt to taste
- While the pasta cooks put the ingredients into a blender ad mix until smooth.
- As soon as the pasta is cooked, reserve some of the cooking water then drain the pasta.
- Put it back into the pan or into a large bowl, add the pesto and some of the cooking water to mix it.
- Serve with some parmigiano on top.
