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What are the ingredients in pesto sauce. Homemade pesto: classics and variations

Known since Roman times, a sauce made with pine nuts based on olive oil is called pesto. It has a specific green color, a spectacular aroma and an oily thick consistency. It can be served with meat, pasta or fish. Learn how to make pesto to give your dishes an Italian touch.

How to make pesto at home

First you need to figure out what pesto is - it is an Italian cuisine sauce that comes from the word pesto, which translates as "rub". The base of the sauce is olive oil, green basil and parmesan cheese. Northern Italy is considered the birthplace of pesto, and a consortium has even been organized in Genoa, according to which the classic Pesto alla Genovese Italy (pesto genovese) must be preserved in its original version, prepared only on high-quality basilica from Liguria.

The italian sauce is able to transform any appetizer and dish, make it fragrant, bring Mediterranean notes. The classic pesto recipe is over two centuries old. It is prepared by grinding the prepared ingredients in a marble or glass mortar with a wooden pestle, but modern conditions force the recipe to adapt to them. Today, the sauce can be prepared in a blender or whipped with a mixer, which helps to achieve a uniform, dense consistency.

Composition

Depending on the place of origin, a different composition of pesto is found. The most famous and classic Genoese sauce includes local basil, pine seeds, salt, garlic, Ligurian extra virgin olive oil and Grana Padano hard sheep cheese or Pecorino cheese. The Sicilian Pesto alla siciliana is prepared without nuts, but with sun-dried tomatoes, and the Neapolitan Pesto alla trapanese includes almonds and tomatoes, but does without cheese.

There are a lot of pesto options, so you can safely experiment with its composition - replace pine nuts with walnuts, hazelnuts or peanuts, basil with arugula, dill or mint. One thing remains indispensable - high-quality olive oil. Hard sheep's cheese is replaced with parmesan, reggiano, the mixture is seasoned with parsley, dried tomatoes or hot peppers. You can add a little coriander or replace the roasted nuts with roasted ones.

In other countries, there are improvisations - the French make a sauce without nuts, the Austrians replace them with pumpkin seeds, and the Germans use wild garlic instead of basil. Pesto is very popular in Italy and abroad, they make pasta with it, season salads, season pizza or simply spread it on crackers in the form of an appetizing hearty snack that goes well with any drink. Minestrone soup cannot be imagined without vegetable oil pesto, and another option for using the sauce would be to mix it with cream or sour cream and coat chicken carcasses for subsequent baking.

Pesto sauce - recipe at home

Applying any pesto recipe on your own is easy, because the sauce is made in a couple of minutes. It is necessary to prepare the components, beat them until smooth with a blender or mixer. If you want to achieve a more delicate and soft taste, then you will have to grind the products with a pinch of sea salt in a mortar, using a pestle for this (the name of the tool itself reminds of sauce). The preparation time of the seasoning increases, but the consistency and benefits of this will benefit.

Classical

Servings: 10 persons.
Calorie content of the dish: 159 kcal.
Purpose: for a snack.
Cuisine: Italian.

The classic pesto recipe involves the use of natural Italian products. These include fresh green basil, hard Parmesan cheese and extra virgin olive oil. Their mixture forms a thick, dense sauce that holds texture and does not spread when spread. All components for manufacturing must be fresh and of high quality.

Ingredients:

green basil - 50 g;
cheese - 50 g;
pine nuts - 30 g;
olive oil - half a glass;
garlic - 2 cloves.

Cooking method:

Rinse the basil, dry it, cut the garlic into slices, grate the cheese.
Mix all the ingredients with a blender for a couple of minutes or crush in a mortar.
Serve with pasta, pasta or spaghetti.

with basil

Cooking time: 10 minutes.
Servings: 10 persons.
Calorie content of the dish: 154 kcal.
Purpose: for a snack.
Cuisine: Italian.
Difficulty of preparation: easy.

The basil pesto recipe calls for using fresh herbs, seasoned with a couple of cloves of garlic and olive oil. You will need any hard cheese for making, Italian Parmigiano or Reggiano is better, but you can also take the origin of another country. Basil is the main product, but can be supplemented with parsley or dill.

Ingredients:

basil - a bunch;
parmesan - 50 g;
garlic - 3 cloves;
pine nuts - a handful;
olive oil - 120 ml.

Cooking method:

At the washed basil, cut the stems, dry the leaves, cut the garlic into petals, grate the parmesan.
Coarsely chop the leaves, grind with a blender along with cheese, nuts, garlic, olive oil. The latter is better to gradually pour in portions to get a uniform filling.
If you do not use parmesan, then the sauce will have to be additionally salted. An interesting option would be to replace the basil with cilantro with parsley or add spinach to it.
Serve better with slicing vegetables, original warm salads.

Creamy

Cooking time: 10 minutes.
Servings: 5 persons.
Calorie content of the dish: 189 kcal.
Purpose: for a snack.
Cuisine: Italian.
Difficulty of preparation: easy.

Pesto with cream has a pronounced milky flavor and delicate taste. It is good served with pasta mixed with flour from durum varieties wheat. This hearty Mediterranean dish will fill you up perfectly in summer or winter. Pesto for it is made with the addition of heavy cream and butter, the remaining components are unchanged - herbs, nuts, olive oil and garlic.

Ingredients:

basil - half a bunch;
pine nuts - 30 g;
parmesan - 50 g;
garlic - 2 cloves;
olive oil - 70 ml;
cream - half a glass;
butter- 20 y.

Cooking method:

Rinse the greens, dry, combine with chopped garlic cloves, pine nuts, grated cheese. Beat a couple of times, season with salt, pepper, pour in olive oil, mix.
Heat cream, add butter, melt.
Combine both masses, avoiding delamination, mix thoroughly.
Optimal served with pasta with mushrooms or spinach.

tomato

Cooking time: 10 minutes.
Servings: 5 persons.
Calorie content of the dish: 196 kcal.
Purpose: for a snack.
Cuisine: Italian.
Difficulty of preparation: easy.

Pesto with tomatoes is not quite traditional, but it is loved in some provinces of Italy. Here, pine nuts are replaced by walnuts, if desired, they can be mixed with almonds or cashews. Sun-dried tomatoes give the sauce a thicker rich texture, a sharp aromatic taste. It is ideal to serve with pasta or vegetables, spread on crackers or bread.

Ingredients:

sun-dried tomatoes - 100 g;
fresh tomatoes - 1 pc.;
walnuts- 50 g;
garlic - 2 cloves;
red dried paprika- 10 g;
basil - a bunch;
parmesan - 50 g;
olive oil - 4.5 tbsp.

Cooking method:

Beat chopped tomatoes, fresh tomato, chopped garlic, washed basil, nuts with a blender. Gradually pour in the oil, you can use the remaining from under the tomatoes, paprika, mix in the grated parmesan.
Shake again.
Serve with dried croutons, dry crackers, pour over lasagna.

from arugula

Cooking time: 10 minutes.
Servings: 10 persons.
Calorie content of the dish: 158 kcal.
Purpose: for a snack.
Cuisine: Italian.
Difficulty of preparation: easy.

Instead of basil, this recipe uses fresh arugula, which gives the filling a pleasant spicy-bitter taste. You can use it in combination with the same pine nuts, but this variation assumes that walnuts and grated parmesan are taken. Garlic and olive oil remain unchanged products for manufacturing.

Ingredients:

fresh arugula - 100 g;
walnuts - 50 g;
parmesan - 50 g;
garlic - 3 cloves;
olive oil - half a glass.

Cooking method:

Rinse the arugula, dry, remove the stems. Grind the leaves into pieces, mix with roasted nuts, finely ground, crushed garlic.
Pour in the oil, pour in the grated cheese, season to taste with salt, pepper.
Serve with toasted croutons, crackers, spaghetti seasoning.

With pine nuts

Cooking time: 10 minutes.
Servings: 4 persons.
Calorie content of the dish: 168 kcal.
Purpose: for a snack.
Cuisine: Italian.
Difficulty of preparation: easy.

How to make Pesto Sauce with Pine Nuts step by step recipe. Pine nuts give the filling a pleasant original taste to create the right consistency. They make the sauce very satisfying and fragrant, their particles crunch pleasantly on the teeth when eaten with pasta or cold in salads. Recipe variations suggest that pine nuts can be used alone or diluted with any other in different proportions.

Ingredients:

green basil - 50 g;
parmesan cheese - 50 g;
pine nuts - 50 g;
olive oil - half a glass;
garlic - 2 cloves;
sea salt- a pinch.

Cooking method:

Wash the basil, blot with a paper towel to remove excess moisture, cut the garlic into large pieces.
Parmesan rub, combine the remaining ingredients in a blender. Beat until smooth.
If you want more airiness of the consistency, you can mix the components until smooth using a pestle and mortar. You can vary the ratio of all products, especially olive oil.
Serve with spaghetti, boiled pasta and fresh vegetables.

What to cook with pesto

Cooked dishes with pesto acquire a magical taste and aroma. Even the simplest pasta becomes an exquisite pasta using oil filling. The traditional combination is ravioli and pesto, fish baked with sauce - salmon or cod. There are many options for eating pesto, such as fresh tomatoes with mozzarella, salads with goat cheese, pasta or vegetable cuts. In addition to combining with other ingredients, pesto goes well with plain bread, dried croutons or crackers.

Tomatoes with mozzarella

Cooking time: half an hour.
Servings: 2 persons.
Calorie content of the dish: 150 kcal.
Purpose: for a snack.
Cuisine: Italian.
Difficulty of preparation: easy.

How to cook tomatoes with cheese and pesto, the following recipe will teach. It's comparatively light dish which resembles the traditional italian salad caprese, but without the use of greens. Fresh tomatoes are set off by soft mozzarella, which makes the appetizer appetizing and attractive. The sauce is prepared in the traditional way with or without the addition of nuts - the chef decides.

Ingredients:

fresh tomatoes - 3 pcs;
mozzarella - 2 balls;
olive oil - 110 ml;
salt - a pinch;
the black ground pepper- a pinch;
basil - 50 g;
parmesan - 50 g;
garlic - 2 cloves.

Cooking method:

Cut tomatoes and mozzarella into slices 5-10 mm thick.
Make the sauce: wash, dry and chop the basil leaves. Combine in a blender bowl with chopped garlic, grated parmesan, butter, beat.
Arrange tomato slices with mozzarella on a serving platter, alternating in layers. Top with sauce, salt, pepper, drizzle with oil.

Paste

Cooking time: 20 minutes.
Servings: 4 persons.
Calorie content of the dish: 169 kcal.
Destination: for lunch.
Cuisine: Italian.
Difficulty of preparation: medium.

How to make pasta with pesto sauce is explained in the following detailed instructions. She will teach novice cooks how to cook delicious hearty pasta with the true spirit of Italy. This will be facilitated by the use of classic pesto with pine nuts, high-quality olive oil and the right spaghetti made from durum wheat flour. It is better to cook pasta until al dente, in order to feel the original taste.

Ingredients:

spaghetti - 0.6 kg;
water - 1.5 l;
basil - 2 bunches;
parsley - a bunch;
parmesan cheese - 75 g;
pine nuts - 40 g;
garlic - 4 cloves;
olive oil - 110 ml;
salt - 5 g.

Cooking method:

Boil water, salt, add spaghetti. After boiling, cook for eight minutes, drain in a colander, allow excess moisture to drain.
For the sauce, beat the washed basil and parsley with a blender along with crushed garlic, toasted nuts, grated Parmesan, olive oil and a pinch of salt. Dilute with oil so that the sauce drips off the spoon.
Put spaghetti in a slide, pour sauce on top. Garnish with parsley and basil leaves.
Serve hot.

Salad

Cooking time: 1 hour.
Servings: 4 persons.
Calorie content of the dish: 151 kcal.
Purpose: for a snack.
Cuisine: Italian.
Difficulty of preparation: easy.

How to make a salad with pesto and goat cheese, you will know after reading the recipe below. He is gentle exquisite taste, bright color due to the use of boiled beets and root lettuce. The use of raspberry balsamic vinegar for decoration will make the appetizer a real masterpiece in the world of culinary arts. Serve the salad warm so that guests can appreciate exquisite combination products.

Ingredients:

pine nuts - 60 g;
corn salad - 100 g;
soft goat cheese - 200 g;
beets - 3 pcs.;
fruit or berry balsamic vinegar - 40 ml;
basil - a bunch;
garlic - 2 cloves;
parmesan - 50 g;
olive oil - half a glass;
sea salt - a pinch.

Cooking method:

Cook unpeeled washed beets until cooked, cool, cut into thin slices.
Use half of the nuts for the sauce - beat with a blender along with washed basil, garlic cloves, grated parmesan and olive oil, salt.
Put the beetroot slices on a plate, lay the slices on top soft cheese, salt, pour vinegar, sprinkle with roasted nuts. Put the sauce next to it or serve it in a separate bowl.
Serve the salad warm in serving bowls.
Instead of boiling, beets can be baked in the oven at a temperature of 180 degrees, add a stalk of celery, lemon juice to the products.

Cooking time: 10 minutes.
Servings: 2 persons.
Calorie content of the dish: 150 kcal.
Purpose: for a snack.
Cuisine: Italian.
Difficulty of preparation: easy.

Every culinary specialist who has read the above recipes already knows how to make caprese sauce. The salad itself is made from fresh tomatoes, soft mozzarella with a delicate creamy taste and piquant spicy basil. The combination of shades of the products used creates the colors of the Italian flag, which makes the dish a favorite for all the inhabitants of this country. Seasoned with pesto salad made in best traditions.

Ingredients:

fresh cherry tomatoes - 120 g;
olive oil - 120 ml;
mozzarella - 120 g;
pine nuts - 30 g;
basil - 1.5 bunches;
garlic - a slice;
parmesan - 50 g;
salt - a pinch;
balsamic vinegar - 10 ml.

Cooking method:

If you are using small balls of mozzarella and cherry tomatoes, cut them in half. Large recommends cut into thick slices-circles.
Put on a dish, alternating layers. Top with half a bunch of basil, chopped or torn by hand.
Make the sauce: beat with a blender or grind in a mortar grated parmesan, washed basil, garlic cloves, pine nuts, previously fried in a dry frying pan.
Pour the sauce on top, salt, decorate balsamic vinegar.
The best accompaniment to caprese salad is a hot toast from the oven, rubbed with garlic powder or salt for taste.
Serve the salad chilled, in a special form-plate.

Pesto Sauce - Storage

If you have already made a delicacy, information on how to store pesto sauce will become relevant. Due to the use of natural fresh products, the filling can be stored for up to five days in the refrigerator. It must be stirred before use because the olive oil will settle to the bottom. If you want to keep the fill on long time, then it can be put in the freezer - the dressing can be there for up to one month. It is undesirable to pasteurize or sterilize the sauce for preservation for the winter, as its taste properties deteriorate significantly.

Video

Salads with pesto sauce occupy a separate niche in the culinary arts. They are healthy, tasty and hearty meals, which can be prepared not only for festive table but also on a normal day - for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Most of them are perfect for a light snack, and some can even replace a full meal.

Preparing the Pesto Base

Before choosing any salad, you need to prepare a pesto consisting of the following ingredients:

50 g each fresh leaves basil and parmesan cheese;
pine nuts - 2 tablespoons;
garlic - 2 cloves;
salt - to taste;
olive oil - 50 ml.

Salads with pesto sauce will have a brighter taste if the list of these products is not modified. This traditional recipe cooking dressing, which appeared in Italy, in Genoa. The addition of other ingredients can destroy the harmony and balance that is inherent in the sauce prepared according to the original recipe.

So, first you need to wash and dry the basil leaves, then cut the cheese into small pieces, peel and cut the garlic in half. Put all this in a blender, add nuts, a little salt and oil, and then chop. You do not need to keep the blender turned on for a long time, wanting to get the most crushed products. On the contrary, the sauce should be heterogeneous.

Caprese salad with pesto sauce

"Caprese" is a very tasty and easy-to-cook Italian salad, perhaps known all over the world. It is also called the “perfect trio”, because the dish combines tomatoes, mozzarella and basil, and together these products form an unsurpassed taste. To make Caprese classic recipe you need to prepare:

6 tomatoes;
250 g mozzarella;
20 g basil;
3 tablespoons of pesto sauce.

The peculiarity of this salad with pesto, mozzarella and tomatoes is that the last 2 ingredients must be cut into slices, the thickness of which will be approximately 7 mm. For everything to work out, you need to take hard tomatoes. Soft varieties simply spread on the plate when cutting. Mozzarella cheese, which is sold in "balls", is first cut across, and then in half, in even parts. Basil leaves should be washed and dried.

You will need a flat dish to serve. Slices of tomatoes and cheese are laid out on it, alternating them with each other. In this case, the next product leans on clearly visible in the photo of the salad). Top the salad with pesto sauce and decorate the center with basil leaves.

Warm potato salad with pesto

This mediterranean-style appetizer is very tasty and satisfying. Warm potato salad with pesto sauce can play the role of an independent dish or side dish. Prepared from the following products:

6 quail eggs;
400 g potatoes;
3 tablespoons green canned peas;
spices - to taste.

Boil potatoes in their skins, peel and cut into 2 parts. This must be done until it cools down so that the salad is warm. Put the potato halves in a bowl, add the peas, then a couple of tablespoons of pesto, spices if desired, and mix well. When the salad is on serving plates, put boiled quail eggs, cut in half, and decorate the dish with a sprig of basil.

Salad with tuna and Adyghe cheese with sauce

This dish also turns out to be unusual and incredibly tasty. This pesto salad recipe, like Caprese, is good because it is quick and fairly easy to prepare. For this, it is necessary following products:

1 tablespoon of pesto sauce;
150 g of Adyghe cheese;
250 g cherry;
1 bank canned tuna in own juice;
spices and garlic - to taste.

You need to drain the liquid from the can of tuna, put the fish in a bowl, then add seasonings, garlic and sauce, mix everything well. Adyghe cheese cut into cubes, put in a salad bowl. Mix carefully. Cut the tomatoes in half, put in a bowl. Mix the salad as carefully as possible so as not to crush the cherry.

Salads with pesto sauce are not the only dish prepared with such an interesting dressing. We offer you to watch a video recipe that tells how to cook chicken fillet with pesto sauce, cherry tomatoes and mozzarella. The end result is very tasty. full meal, which is perfect for dinner with the family, and for meeting guests.

What is Italian pesto sauce famous for? Basic ingredients, pesto recipe (photo). The right basil for pesto. Classic sauce in Liguria.

"Рesto alla genovese" - this is how the famous pesto sauce sounds in Italian, which means pesto in Genoese. as popular all over the world as pesto sauce is inseparable from spaghetti or Minestrone soup, which are traditionally served together. The name "pesto" alone carries a charm.

We will learn how to choose the right basil for sauce and how to make pesto at home

Origin of "pesto"

Pesto comes from Liguria and its main city, Genoa. The main treasure of this unique sauce is basil leaves. The peculiarity of this spicy herb is that the true Italian basil must be grown under the rays of the sun in the Pra area, the western neighborhood of Genoa, not far from the Mediterranean Sea.

The right basil for the sauce

They say that the natives of Genoa are kind to the cultivation of basil and the preparation of this sauce. Some don't even try pesto unless the basil leaves have been basking in the sun around Pra.

This is explained by the fact that a light bitterness and a delicate fibrous texture should be felt in the basil. Leaves no larger than 4-5 centimeters should be plucked, as mature leaves can add excessive bitterness to the sauce. As is customary in, dishes, like sauce, are created only from fresh seasonal products.

Composition of pesto sauce

Ingredients for classic sauce pesto

The pesto contains basil, pine nuts, cheese, garlic and olive oil. Traditionally, the preparation of the sauce begins with washing, drying on a towel and rubbing the basil. Adherents of the old kitchen prefer the mortar and pestle as tools for creating a creamy consistency.

Patience and work - that's what you need for a beginner. The pestle, unlike the harvester, helps to highlight essential oils- the aroma without which the true sauce will not be called pesto sauce!

If you do not plan to use the sauce immediately after cooking, then be sure to place it in a container and cover tightly with a lid.

When the grass begins to sap, it's time to add the pine nuts and salt. Salt is used only coarse. Then comes the turn of garlic, pecarino cheese and a little olive oil. Keep in mind that the balance between bitterness and sweetness can be adjusted by adding pine nuts.

The olives must also come from the area. Olive oil is chosen taking into account the characteristics of the variety: moderately spicy and preferably with low acidity - ideal for pesto. Next comes the cheese. Pecarino is the common name for a product made from pure sheep's milk, so popular in Italy.

As slightly less expensive ingredients you can use cashew nuts or walnuts - instead of pine nuts. Can parmesan be substituted for pecorino cheese? or grana padano.

How to make pesto at home

Learn how to make pesto at home!

The modern version of pesto is simplified. And cooks, of course, do not use a pestle and mortar, but food processor- blender. All the salt in the creation of this unique sauce lies in the proportions of the products taken, and here the professionalism of the author of the culinary product plays a decisive role.

To learn how to determine the necessary ratio of ingredients by eye, do not be afraid, but try to create your own unique pesto at home today!

The final stage

On the final stage the sauce is garnished with basil leaves and olives. If you do not plan to use the sauce immediately after cooking, be sure to place it in a container and cover tightly to prevent it from quickly oxidizing in air. In an airtight container, pesto sauce will keep in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Tortellini with pesto. But you will be surprised how well this sauce goes well with your favorite dumplings!

Whatever draws us to Italian cuisine, pesto sauce will adequately take its place in kitchen cooking next to any dish. And its aroma will conquer not only a gourmet, but also a mere mortal!

I love coockie so much! Some dishes require great culinary skills and certain knowledge. But I prefer to cook light and undemanding dishes. The ones where you can let your imagination run wild. And with a variety of sauces and dressings on hand, you can experiment to your heart's content! I'll tell you about the sauce, which comes from sunny Italy, from the city of Genoa. Namely, about the pesto.

What are the ingredients in pesto sauce?

I think everyone has heard of this sauce. The classic pesto is called "genovese", it is distinguished by a bright and saturated green color. His main ingredients are:

olive oil(this is the basis of the sauce, so we choose only the best product);
fragrant spices such as basil, parsley, cilantro, rosemary, oregano, arugula, or spinach.

It should be mentioned that real olive oil must be obtained thanks to mechanical (cold) pressing. Produced in this way, the oil retains the natural aroma, taste, and most importantly - all the benefits of olives.

The whole secret of greenery is that it must be fresh. It must be finely chopped using a mortar or blender.

Another option pesto sauce, which is successful all over the world, is called "rosso". The basis, of course, is Provence olive oil, and sun-dried olives give the red color to the sauce. tomatoes.

TO classical components pesto sauces include:

cedar, almond or walnut nuts;
parmesan cheese or any other of your choice hard cheese(it will make the sauce more homogeneous);
citrus juice(you can experiment and add grapefruit, lemon or orange juice);
garlic, salt, pepper or any other spices of your choice;
avocado, ginger, mango become an original touch and make the sauce unique.

What do you eat pesto with?

It is very convenient to prepare the sauce and store it in the refrigerator. He will come to the rescue if guests unexpectedly rush in.

simple vegetables, served on the table with pesto sauce, will be excellent cold snack. And cutting fresh tomatoes, tender cheese mozzarella and adding a little sauce, you get classic dish Italian cuisine - salad "caprese". And do hot appetizer- easy peasy! Simply warm up the pesto-dried bread slices in the oven and "bruschetta" ready.

Thanks to the bitter taste of greens and slight sourness, the pesto sauce will become great addition for:

pasta, lasagna and more pasta dishes;
puree from potatoes, cauliflower or pumpkin;
meat, poultry dishes;
seafood(mussels, octopus, squid and shrimp);
bean dishes, such as peas, beans or chickpeas;
rice dishes, especially for risotto;
vegetable stew.

I advise you to marinate the meat in pesto before cooking. Greens will give the meat a unique taste! This can become your signature culinary secret.

Benefits of pesto sauce

According to the recipe, the sauce is prepared only from fresh ingredients, not passed heat treatment. This allows us to say that it contains a fairly large amount vitamins and microelements, among which:

calcium;
potassium;
magnesium;
phosphorus;
zinc;
copper and many others.

Sauce Pesto brings great benefits the human body! It stimulates the immune system, reduces the amount of bad cholesterol, removes toxins and, in general, improves the functioning of the digestive system.

Although pesto is a fairly high-calorie sauce, this does not prevent it from being a welcome guest on the table of a housewife who watches her figure. After all, calories are only healthy fats! The consumption rate is approximately one to two tablespoons a day.

If you are buying a ready-made product in a store, read composition as carefully as possible. Avoid unnecessary preservatives and do not forget about individual intolerance products.

Widely used in many culinary masterpieces both in Europe and Asia. Moreover, in every folk cuisine it is considered traditional. In Italy, Spain, Germany, France, the recipes for this sauce are very different from one another. It is very popular in the Mediterranean and has a dark green color (due to its constituents), in addition, the classic dish implies the presence of extra virgin olive oil and Every Italian housewife should learn how to prepare pesto sauce. Why do they eat it? The question she immediately asks herself. It is quite thick in consistency, and when served as an independent dish, it can be served both in any gravy boat and in an ordinary small plate. If desired, it can even be put on plates with snacks, it does not spread very much.

With pasta, spaghetti and more pasta their perfect combination in Italian cuisine is no secret. Since their preparation is a kind of art, they are served on beautiful large plates, which in Russia would rather be used for snacks.

One of the most simple recipes making pesto sauce is classic version.

However, each housewife can choose its flavors for herself, then she uses olive oil as a basis traditional dish, replace with some other vegetable oil, purple and parmesan cheese. Of course, this will no longer be a classic European delicacy, but it is quite similar and quite edible and recognizable. It’s easy to figure out what pesto sauce is, but first you need to cook it.

So, necessary ingredients for this sauce: one hundred grams of parmesan, two hundred grams of olive oil, three to four cloves of garlic, 100 grams of cashew nuts, a large bunch of green basil, salt.

Having bought everything you need, you can start cooking. Italian housewives grind all the ingredients of this sauce on their own using a mortar. However, lazy people can do it in a blender or meat grinder. The word "pesto" is derived from the Italian verb, which translates as "press" or "rub". Therefore, the classic version implies completely manual work.

So, grind the ingredients of the sauce in a convenient way for us: nuts, basil, garlic. Three cheese on a very fine grater to make it airy. This is necessary to prepare the pesto sauce. Why do they eat it, given that it resembles gruel in consistency? In principle, there are no special recommendations, but a white gravy boat is ideal simply because the combination of white and dark green is quite impressive.

Let's move on to the next step. Mix nuts with garlic and basil well, add olive oil. Then add grated cheese and mix well again. If necessary, add salt, preferably sea, large. To give a special flavor, you can add a few grated mint leaves, and for piquancy a little fragrant black pepper. It must be stored in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator.

A dish of fresh white bread, slightly fried if you spread pesto sauce on it. Why eat this original seasoning yet? In principle, from any dish. And with what? It can be canapes, various varieties, meat, fish or potatoes. Perfect with tomatoes and mozzarella.

Everyone who has been to Italy has almost certainly tried pesto sauce, a photo showing a dish with it adorns the album of almost any traveler.