Name: Pesto alla Genovese
Prep time: 15 min
Total time: 15 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 50g fresh basil leaves; 30g pine nuts; 50g Parmigiano-Reggiano (finely grated); 20g Pecorino Sardo (finely grated); 1 clove garlic; 100ml extra virgin olive oil; Pinch of coarse salt

Recipes

Pesto alla Genovese

By Javen Chong · Jan 05, 2025

The original Ligurian basil pesto made the traditional way fresh basil, pine nuts, Parmigiano Reggiano, Pecorino Sardo, garlic, and great EVOO. No cream, no shortcuts. Blend gently or use a mortar and pestle to keep the basil bright green and texture slightly rough rather than smooth. Toss through fresh trofie or linguine with pasta water for the perfect result.

JC

Written by

Javen Chong

Ingredients list:

120g washed basil leaves
70g pine nuts
1.5 cloves of garlic
85g parmigiano reggiano
180g evoo
maldon salt to taste
pasta of choice

Directions:

Difficulty: Easy
Feeds: 6-8 people
Cooking time: 15 minutes

Blanch Basil: Pluck out your basil leaves from the stem and place in boiling water for 20 secons. Once blanched, immediately place in ice water. Squeeze out excess water and set aside.
Prepare Ingredients: Measure out your pine nuts, parmigiano reggiano and peel garlic cloves.
Make Pesto: In a food processor/ pestle and mortar, add in drained basil leaves, pine nuts, garlic cloves, parmigiano reggiano and pulse until a rough powder forms.
Add in EVOO: Once rough powder is formed, add in EVOO and blend until a homogenous pesto forms.
Cook Pasta: Cook your pasta 2 minutes under packet instructions to get that perfect al dente texture. Reserve some pasta water.
To Assemble: In a bowl, add in cooked pasta, pesto sauce and a little pasta water. Mix and serve. Garnish with a light shaving of parmigiano reggiano.