It seems that there is no such country and there is no such people who would not be proud of their culinary discoveries, and if it talks about sauces, then this is an endless topic. At first glance, the repeating composition of spices and herbs that has already spread all over the world. No new spices are open, but for some reason the basil in Thailand and Italy has a completely different taste. And the point is not even in the varietal variety of leafy vegetables, but in the methods of its preparation, in combinations.
Once on the fertile land of the Apennine Peninsula, Asian culture has become the main ingredient in Italian, Greek and French sauces. If only this, but she got a completely new taste in these dishes.
Genoese basil, pine (pine) seeds or pine nuts, olive oil and cheese - these are all components of the sauce that conquered the culinary world and glorified all of Italy, and especially Liguria. It would seem, take and do - nothing complicated! But, do not rush, because everyone has their own secrets, and most importantly: do not forget to praise all Italians for the fact that their compatriot pesto invented to respect the temperamental southern people.
Classic pesto sauce - basic technological principles
To make a real Ligurian pesto, you will have to be patient, knowledge and necessary products, or information where to get them, or what to replace. In principle, green and even red sauce with the same name can be prepared from another variety of basil, but it will be another pesto, also classic, but with a different flavor. In Liguria, they are very proud of the signature recipe, and if someone dares to appropriate the glory of the famous sauce, to which the festival is dedicated annually, the Ligurians will be offended. Therefore, the first, most original recipe described below, try to cook accurately to appreciate the subject of pride of Genoa.
What you need to remember about pesto sauce? The classic composition is cedar nuts or pine pines, the obligatory component is extra virgin olive oil, cheese - Parmesan or Pecorino Sardo. It is clear that difficulties will immediately arise with cheese. If you don’t get such cheese as it should, pick the hardest cheese, preferably from sheep’s milk. This is the most famous Ligurian pesto, and all the rest, also classic versions, are its derivatives.
It is believed that pesto is a green sauce, and in a sense it is true. Firstly, the very first of the sauces of this kind had a really bright, very saturated green color, and secondly, if we take into account that the sauce is made from fresh herbs, then what should I call it differently, if not green? But even in Italy red pesto sauces appeared; there is pink and yellow pesto.
Identical sauces are prepared in Provence, Austria, Germany. The composition of these sauces is vaguely similar to the very first pesto recipe, but even better. Especially, if we take into account the etymology of the name, then there is nothing seditious in such changes: "pesto", translated from Italian - crush or crushed. That is, the name directly indicates the method of preparation, and not the composition of the ingredients.
Indeed, initially sauces were prepared in a mortar, they were ground to a pasty state. Probably because in those days blenders, combines and other grinders did not exist. True, some professionals argue that when touched with metal knives, the properties of basil deteriorate, because this delicate green does not tolerate contact with metal.
One can argue with this statement. Firstly, there are ceramic knives, and basil can simply be chopped with such a knife. Secondly, grinding in a mortar is a long and exhausting process, and, frankly, even professionals rarely resort to this method of preparing green sauce. Thirdly, when it comes into contact with oxygen, basil also oxidizes very quickly when it needs to be crushed in a mortar for a very long time - much faster than in a blender when it is pierced for no more than a minute. Fourth, if basil is quickly immersed in oil, then neither metal knives nor air oxidation will spoil the basil just in time.
These, in fact, are all the subtleties that you need to know about cooking pesto.
What is it eaten with? Of course with pasta! You can add it to Italian pizza, Russian pies, to vegetable snacks and salads, to soups, or just to spread a sandwich.
1. Classic pesto sauce - cook, as in Liguria
Ingredients:
Pine nuts 15 g
Extra virgin olive oil 80 ml
Basil, green Genoese 40 g
Garlic 5-6 g (1 clove)
Parmesan cheese 75 g
Salt
Cooking:
Grind nuts and garlic by adding a pinch of salt. Pour oil into a nut mass, punch all the ingredients with a blender. Tear the basil with your hands, as small as possible, immerse in a blender, beat the sauce again. Add cheese grated on the finest grater.
The sauce is ready.
2. Classic pesto sauce - second option, Sicilian
Ingredients:
Basil 80 g
Fresh tomatoes 100 g
Sun-dried tomatoes 50 g
Garlic 10 g
Almonds 120 g
Olive oil 70 ml
Cooking:
Blanch fresh medium-sized tomato, remove the peel and seeds. Tear the basil, peel a couple of cloves of garlic. Immerse all the ingredients in a blender and beat until smooth.
The good news: in this recipe you can use dried oregano instead of basil, in the winter version of the recipe. Such a sauce can be stored for quite some time in the refrigerator. Dry oregano must be added twice as much as fresh basil.
3. Pesto sauce - a classic Provence recipe
Ingredients:
50 ml olive oil and water
Basil 100 g
Garlic
Salt
Cooking:
Pour oil into a blender, beat at high speed, gradually adding cold boiled water. When the mass turns into an emulsion, add basil and garlic. Continue punching until smooth.
This sauce is added to soups.
4. Pesto sauce - a classic in Germany
Ingredients:
Pine nuts 70 g
Ramson 120 g
Cheese 150 g
Olive oil 80 g
Cooking:
Fry the nuts, chop the wild leek. Put all the ingredients in a blender and beat to a puree consistency.
5. Classic pesto sauce with lemon
Ingredients:
The composition of the products - according to the recipe No. 1 + ½ lemon
Cooking:
Repeat the entire cooking process exactly as described in the first recipe, but add the juice and zest of half a lemon to the blender bowl.
This sauce is perfect for salted fish sandwiches.
6. Classic pesto sauce with avocado
Ingredients:
Lime ½ pcs.
Avocado, average 1 pc.
Basil 50 g
Peppermint 30 g
Oil 120 g
Garlic 15 g
Cheese 100 g
Salt
Cooking:
Peel the avocado by removing the stone. Put in a blender, add garlic, lime juice, oil, herbs. Punch until smooth. Salt to taste, add grated cheese.
7. Classic pesto sauce for baked eggplant rolls
Ingredients:
Cheese 120 g
Basil, purple 70 g
Parsley 40 g
Garlic 20 g
Cilantro 40 g
Oil 150 g
Nuts 150 g
Salt
Hot pepper (green) ½ pod
Lemon 1 pc.
Eggplant 3 pcs.
Flour 50 g
Egg 1 pc.
Water 80 ml
Frying oil
Cooking:
Wash the eggplants, soak in water to remove the bitterness, cut into plates along, with a thickness of not more than 0.5 cm. Prepare the mixture from flour, eggs and water. Cover the baking sheet with foil, grease with oil. Put the plates of eggplant, grease them on top with the prepared lezon, and bake until golden brown. When fry, turn over with the reverse side, cover with another sheet of foil on top. Let it cool.
Remove the zest from the lemon, squeeze the juice into a blender. Add all the other ingredients and punch in a pulsation mode until you get a paste. Spread the prepared plates with it, wrap it with a roll, laying it on a baking sheet, with the seam down. Lubricate the rolls on top with a lezon, and bake in the open, again until rosy. Serve the appetizer cold or hot with sour cream.
8. Classic pesto sauce for carrot soup
Ingredients:
Carrot 400 g
Onions 200 g
Cream 250 ml
Chicken broth 0.5 l
Flour 90 g
Butter 120 g
Salt
Sugar
White pepper
For the sauce:
Basil 50 g
Oil 100 g
Cilantro 50 g
Pumpkin seeds, peeled 120 g
Garlic 20 g
Lemon ½ pcs.
Cooking:
Prepared vegetables, onions and carrots, chop in circles. Sprinkle lightly with sugar and salt. Hold in a hot oven until soft. Transfer to pan, pour warm chicken stock. Cook to a boil. Melt the butter in a pan, add the flour and fry until creamy. Add the fried flour and warmed cream to the pan. Punch the soup with a blender until smooth.
Serve by putting a spoonful of sauce on a plate.
For the sauce, fry the seeds, add oil, lemon juice, garlic and spicy greens to them. Punch mass to a pasty consistency.
Classic pesto sauce - useful tips
Do not cook the sauce for the future. It is used raw, without heat treatment. After standing for a while, the sauce will lose its aroma, and the crushed basil loses its appearance and useful properties, oxidizing under the influence of oxygen. That is, having prepared the pesto a couple of hours before use, do not forget to always put it in a jar and close it tightly. Clean in a dark cool place.
What should I do if I couldn’t get that very famous variety of fragrant basil, with the smell of lemon, anise and mint? There is a simple way out: add lemon zest, crushed star anise, a small pinch, and a little mint to the sauce, and use the one that is available. But there is another way, longer, but guaranteed to provide the right greens at the right time: basil for pesto in Liguria is grown in greenhouses, which means that it can feel great on the windowsill in the kitchen. It has very beautiful and delicate white flowers, a pleasant refreshing aroma. What is not a houseplant?
