A little history..
As is the case with most traditional recipes, the history of pesto goes back - almost - to the dawn of time, even if its first mention under the name of pesto alla genovese only appears in cookery books in the 19th century, with a list of ingredients and indications of proportions to make it a success. But before being codified and recorded, this recipe underwent numerous evolutions and modifications. Some trace its origins back to Roman antiquity. In an almost gastronomic poem called Moretum, attributed to the great Virgil (70-19 B.C.), a peasant picks aromatic herbs (rue, coriander and ache) and garlic from his garden, and goes home to pound them by the fire in his mortar with salt and a cheese crust... Granted, there's no basil, pine nuts or olive oil here, but the principle of pesto is clearly there. The Romans added variations to this recipe, incorporating walnuts, fromage frais, oil... Another similarity is that the word moretum gave rise to mortarium (mortar) and the word pesto comes from the Genoese verb pestâ (in Italian pestare), meaning to pound. In both cases, then, the mortar is an indispensable, almost "ingredient" of the famous pesto. And among the possible ancestors of the fine Genoese sauce, there'sagliata, a medieval sauce based on garlic and vinegar that was particularly prized in the days of the Maritime Republic of Genoa for preserving food on ships.
The ingredients
Today, pesto alla genovese has strict specifications and ingredients, seven in all: basil, particularly Basilico Genovese PDO from Prà, a district of Genoa, which has small, highly fragrant leaves without the slightly minty taste of other varieties, and which is obviously the best basil in the world, and delicate Pisan pine nuts, parmesan (a dry cow's cheese) and Sardinian pecorino (a dry sheep's cheese), sea salt, Vassalico garlic, which is easily digestible and has a more subtle taste than the other varieties, allowing the other flavors to develop, and extra-virgin olive oil from the Ligurian Riviera PDO, which is particularly sweet and fruity. Not forgetting, of course, the marble mortar and wooden pestle!
The recipe
When it comes to proportions, it's not easy to decide: there are as many recipes as there are cooks! Depending on your taste, you may use more cheese or more garlic... Here's a recipe to help you make pesto alla genovese the way you like it! Don't forget to use only the highest quality ingredients!
Obtain a large bunch of basil (approx. 70 g), 40 g Parmesan, 20 g Pecorino, 40 g pine nuts, a clove of garlic, a pinch of coarse sea salt and approx. 100 ml olive oil.
Detach the basil leaves, wash and drain them, taking care not to crush them. Mash the garlic and pine nuts (which can be lightly dry-roasted in a frying pan to bring out their fragrance) with the coarse sea salt, add the basil leaves, then the two types of grated cheese and, still mashing, pour in the olive oil until you have a smooth, creamy paste.
Of course, this raw sauce can be served with any dish, and is even a perfect seasoning for sandwiches, but it is traditionally served with pasta, and in Genoa, restaurants generally serve it with trofie, a small, centimetre-long pasta twisted to form tapered points at the ends. Another pasta alla genovese recipe includes potatoes and green beans. Cubed potatoes and fresh green beans are cooked in plenty of salted water, then the pasta is added after about ten minutes. When cooked, drain and add the pesto!
The variants
Apart from pesto alla genovese, there are many other recipes, and pesto's ingredients can vary enormously. In the end, the only requirements are: firstly, the sauce must remain raw, and secondly, the ingredients, whatever they may be, must be of the highest quality. Otherwise, anything is possible: you can even find pesto without garlic! Each cook is free to create his or her own recipe, with a base of olive oil, oilseeds, cheese, herbs... Pine nuts are easily replaced by walnuts, almonds, pistachios, pecans, macadamias, cashews, peanuts.... Only hazelnuts don't seem to absorb enough oil, but they're still very tasty... Similarly, all fresh herbs can be used, such as arugula, dill, coriander, parsley, spinach... But also certain petroleum-based herbs like sage or marjoram, which give a more powerful flavour. Not to mention all the other recipes without green herbs, such as pesto rosso made with sun-dried tomatoes... The possibilities are truly endless!
But we won't offend our Genoese friends: pesto alla genovese is, of course, the best of all pestos, and its worldwide renown is richly deserved. A spoonful of this tasty, creamy sauce would give energy and flavor to any piece of bread, so a visit to Genoa is inconceivable without tasting a real pesto made from all these finely selected ingredients. Because, yes, even if you've already tasted quality, home-made pestos, your taste buds will be tingling with delight here! But be warned: you'll get a taste for it immediately, and there's no turning back. No more pesto in a jar! Fortunately, you now have the recipe... By the way, why not bring back a mortar and pestle from your stay in Genoa?
