Pesto Genovese is a staple sauce of Genoese cuisine. Pesto is made by chopping and grinding fresh basil leaves adding pine nuts, extra virgin olive oil, garlic and grated cheese.

The best cheeses for this sauce are Parmesan, Grana Padano, Pecorino Sardo or Pecorino Romano. This sauce recipe originated in Liguria in the nineteenth century, but it might have been a version of earlier traditional Ligurian sauces.

In the past, all the ingredients of this sauce were pounded in marble mortars by a marble pestle. But even in modern Italy housewives sometimes will use this method. Of course, with today’s food processors, our task is simpler.

Pesto’s ingredients marry well and compliment each other to create a superior and delicate taste. It is the best sauce imaginable for pasta, fish, gnocchi and what not. You can make crispy crostini and bruscetti with this sauce. While enjoying the taste, we get many useful substances this sauce is rich with. There is no thermal treatment involved, so all vitamins are preserved.

Ingredients for Pesto Genovese Sauce

50-60 g Parmesan cheese

100-150 g basil leaves

3-4 garlic cloves

½ cup (150 ml) olive oil

30-40 g pine nuts

Salt to taste

Recipe of Pesto Genovese Sauce