Want to know where to find the best pesto in the world? Book a trip to Liguria (Genova, Cinque Terre, etc.) & taste it first hand. Want to know where to get the next best thing? Your kitchen!
Yes, you can buy pre-made pesto at most grocery stores, but what’s the fun in that? Making it yourself will impress even the pickiest eaters in your life. To top it all off, there’s no “cooking” involved! Okay, so, by “cooking” I mean applying heat. You will have to enter the kitchen for this one & maybe break out an appliance or two. Sorry, folks.
Blend until the combination reaches a smooth consistency.
To give you some background, pesto originated in the Ligurian region of Italy. This is why you’ll often see it referred to as “Pesto alla Genovese” or Pesto from Genova – Genova being a city within this region.
Food in Italy is highly regionalized – meaning that cuisine varies depending on what part of the country you are in. Despite popular belief, you can not get amazing pizza just anywhere in Italy. You would have to go to Naples to find the best of the best. Well, the same goes for pesto.
A few years ago, I visited family friends in Camogli, a small fishing town just south of Genova for a long weekend away from Rome (where I was studying at the time).
Very little English was spoken at the dinner table & my Italian was conversational at best. But, one thing I definitely understood was the food that was being placed in front of me. I had discovered the combination of lasagna, pesto & ricotta – no tomato sauce! Mind blown.
At some point, I will attempt to recreate this dish. Until then, I share with you the closest pesto recipe I can get to what I had that day.
- 4 cups Fresh Basil Leaves
- 1 cup Pine Nuts
- 1/2 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1/2 cup Pecorino Romano Grated Cheese
- 1/2 cup Parmigiano Reggiano Grated Cheese
- 1 clove Garlic minced
- 3 tbsp water
- Salt
- Pepper
Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor & combine until smooth.
Serve with your favorite pasta & top with grated Pecorino Romano cheese and a fresh sprig of basil.
