Terricciola: The Real Pesto Sauce, the Pasta types and my joy to prepare “Easy” Pasta al Pesto for a cheerful family!

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 0
Ingredients

• 50grbasil leaves (possibly young and fresh)
• 1/2 cup Extra Virgi Olive Oil
• 6 tbsp parmesan cheese
• 2 tbsp pecorino cheese (Romano)
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 tbsp pine nuts
• few grains salt

Cooking Directions

Old and Real Method

1. To do the real Genoese Pesto need a marble mortar and pestle made of wood, a lot of diligence and patience.
2. To have the first written recipe of Pesto we came back to the mid 800 and since then, except in the desecration hasty execution, the technique has not changed.
3. First, you must wash in cold water, basil, (the Genoese one) and then put out to dry on a towel.
4. In the meantime you have to beat it in a mortar one clove of garlic every thirty basil leaves, the ritual is even in doses.
5. The garlic should be soft, should not prevail despite being heard in the background … so you can not miss it!
6. It should not even miss the salt, add a few grains.
7. At this point, but not all together (they are not a normal grass, but a precious one!) we add the basil leaves and it starts a gentle circular motion and extended in the mortar.
8. Remember that essential oils of basil are preserved in the veins of the leaves and to get the best flavor, you should not beat badly but slightly rotate the pestle to tear, no shear, the fragrant leaves.
9. When the basil will draw a bright green liquid it’s time to add the pine nuts, a handful. The better quality is national and, of course, are more expensive, but on this occasion, we want to dispel the myth of the Genoese thrift and choose for the best, indeed the pine nuts are important in all of our recipes.
10. It ‘time for the cheese: parmesan and pecorino, both DOP, properly seasoned. And finally, the extra virgin olive oil, spilled a drop, of course, Italian flavor not particularly aggressive, not particularly intense, perfect to meet all the ingredients without overwhelming them.
11. One last recommendation:
12. processing must take place at room temperature and must end in the shortest possible time in order to avoid oxidation problems.

Easy (equally tasty and creamy) Pesto Sauce:

1. Today, in the rush to make a good Pesto Genovese has also used the blender.
2. Wash the basil leaves
3. dry them on a kitchen paper.
4. clean the garlic
5. put in the blender first the half part of the leaves
6. then the garlic
7. then the pine nuts (put aside some whole pine nuts)
8. then the cheese
9. add half oil
10. at last cover with the remaining basil leaves.
11. turn on the blender for about 10 seconds adding the remaining oil flush.
12. taste and add the salt.
13. Season with whole pine nuts
14. The blender makes the pesto equally tasty and creamy.

 Pasta Types suitable for Pesto Sauce: linguine, trofie, trofiette, casarecce, maltagliati, reginette.