Ligurian pesto is a cold sauce made from basil, grated pecorino and parmesan cheese, garlic, Ligurian olive oil, and coarse salt. It is a specialty of the Liguria region, famous worldwide for its fresh and aromatic flavor. Perfect for use as a pasta sauce or spread on toasted bread.
Carefully wash the basil leaves in cold running water and let them air dry spread out on a cloth
Place them in the dry mortar, add the salt and garlic cloves, and start pounding with the wooden pestle
Do not hit with the pestle but press firmly without striking the mortar
Then add a little cheese at a time, alternating between the two types, and when you have obtained a homogeneous mixture, drizzle in the olive oil while stirring with a wooden spatula until you get a smooth and creamy mixture
It is a mistake to remove the pesto from the mortar to add the oil, as part of the basil's fragrance remains on the mortar walls; by adding the oil in the same container, it absorbs all the aroma (to obtain good pesto, the quality of the basil, which should be curly and Ligurian, is very important, as is the quality of the oil, which should always be chosen as extra-virgin)
If desired, it is also possible to prepare the pesto with the help of a blender, which simplifies the preparation and can give reasonably good results; in this case, the oil and basil are added
Mortar and pestle
Wooden spoon
Italia, Liguria
| Energy (kcal) | 402.58 |
| Carbohydrates (g) | 2.49 |
| of which Sugars (g) | 2.49 |
| Fat (g) | 39.86 |
| of which Saturates (g) | 8.35 |
| Protein (g) | 7.49 |
| Fiber (g) | 2.34 |
| Sale (g) | 0.23 |
