I’ve just returned from 4 lazy days on the Ligurian coast in Italy’s north. It was crammed with young bronzed Ligurians tanning and flirting. They know how to party and eat. Gastronomically speaking, much of the attention is on its basil, the holy herb that is proudly responsible for pesto.
The basil (the Basilico di Pra variety please), pine nuts and olive oil all must be Ligurian. The Parmesan must be the Parmigiano-Reggiano from Emilia Romagna while the Pecorino (a hard ewe’s milk cheese) is from Sardinia. The garlic and sea salt I assume is also local. This rigid list makes up the necessary ingredients to make an authentic pesto. But who rules on the authenticity I hear you ask? Well none other than the ‘Order of the Cavaliers of the Brotherhood of Pesto’. They have applied for their own DOC label (Denominazione di Origine Controlla) as used by the wine industry, to inform the public it’s the genuine product. In this case ‘Pesto alla Genovese’ could only be used for these growers from Genova who comply.
If you can source this type of basil, great. I don’t know if it’s available outside of the region. I recall when I lived in Rome, my Tuscan housemate, came home one day incredibly excited as she had some in her possession. She made pesto and it was fantastic! But don’t be dismayed if Ligurian Basil is not available, use what is known as Pesto Basil. Please try to make this, if only once in your life. Commercial pesto is nothing like the fresh love story you’d have before you. Now aromatic fresh pesto clinging to fresh egg yolk pasta… oh dear I’d be in trouble!
Pesto
30 fresh Ligurian Basil Leaves
90ml Extra Virgin Olive Oil
30g Pine Nuts
30g Parmesan Cheese, freshly grated
30g Pecorino Cheese, freshly grated
pinch Sea Salt
Place the basil, oil, pinenuts and salt in a food processor and whiz at a medium speed until a slightly lumpy sauce. Add the cheese and blitz again briefly. Put in a jar, cover with a thin layer of oil to prevent mould and keep in the fridge or freezer to keep it longer.
Use: Cook pasta according to instructions. Drain the pasta, put back into the pot and immediately stir through enough pesto as your liking guides. At this point, you should be reaching heaven. If that’s not enough, you can also top with additional parmesan, or crumbled feta, toasted breadcrumbs or pinenuts.
Combines well with: spaghetti, gnocchi, egg dishes, chicken, asparagus, zucchini, toasted sourdough bread and mozzarella di bufula.
Filed under: Liguria, Recipes, Stories , basil, garlic, parmigiano reggiano, pecorino, pinenuts, sauce, vegetarian
