Homemade Pesto Genovese

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Hi, I’m Kira Volpi and this is my version of a typical homemade pesto you would find in the Cinque Terre (5 lands) region in Northern Italy traditionally served with Trofie pasta and it's delicious!

Cinque Terre is a group of 5 towns that are bellied into cliffs near Genoa.
Monterrosso al Mare
Vernazza
Corniglia
Manarolo
Riomaggiore


This area is known for many beautiful things, such as the cliff side trial hike with amazing seaside views, the fresh seafood and of course the homemade pesto.

This brilliantly green food of the Gods is made from the freshest basil, the most delicate of Pine nuts and a blend of both Pecorino and Parmigiano cheeses. Pecorino is a little sharper then Parmigiano but the blend of the two in this pesto recipe make it supremely yummy!

Homemade Pesto Genovese Ingredients:

Fresh basil leaves are the main ingredient for this pesto recipe so try to find a bunch that is aromatic and bright green.

1. 1 large bunch of fresh basil leaves
2. 2 cloves of garlic
3. ¼ cup of pine nuts
4. ¼ cup of finely grated pecorino
5. ¼ cup of finely grated parmigiano
6. olive oil, to the consistency you like
7. salt to taste

Pesto Genovese Preparation:

Traditionally, and by traditionally I mean in the old country, pesto sauce was made with a mortar and pestle. They would grind the basil to a pulp to release the essential oils of the leaves. Then the pine nuts were added and grind by hand until creamy. If you're feeling adventurous, like I did was with my cashew pesto be my guest. I can tell you that it makes a big differnce in the texture and the taste. Here I used a food processor.



Rinse the fresh basil leaves in water. Then place all the basil leaves into the food processor by themselves.



Blend to a smooth consistency. I suggest blending for a 30 seconds and then stopping to scrap the sides with a spatula and then blending again until it's paste like.



Then add the pine nuts and the garlic and blend repeating the same stopping and scrapping technique. Scrap the pesto out of the processor into a bowl and add the parmigiano and pecorino cheeses.



Mix the cheeses with the fresh basil mixture until it has a creamy texture. Then in that same bowl drizzle the Olive Oil to the consistency you like. Now that’sa pesto!

Vivere, Amare, Ridere e Mangiare Bene
Live, Love, Laugh and Eat Well!
Kira Volpi

Do you have a pasta recipe to share? Just like this homemade pesto recipe I will post it right here on this site for a whole page dedicated to your Italian pasta recipe.

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PESTO RECIPES

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