Pesto sauce came to us from sunny Italy, but it is modern and comes from the old garlic sauce L’agliata. Homemade pesto is surprisingly easy and inexpensive to make, and fresh tastes so much better than store-bought.
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Pesto sauce is basically a bright-green sauce made with chopped basil, pine nuts, garlic, olive oil and Parmesan cheese. It is a sauce that originated in Italy, and the term pesto comes from the Italian word “pestare”, which means “to crush”, “to trample”, “to rub”, “to press”. At first, it was prepared with a mortar and pestle, but it turned out that it is faster and easier to do it with a food processor. Without loss of taste.
Ingredients for Pesto sauce
Most of the ingredients needed for this recipe are things you probably already have on hand. If you don’t have basil growing in your garden, it’s best to buy it freshen the day you make the sauce.
- Basil – Use fresh basil leaves. Common basil leaves for pesto are broadleaf basil, sweet basil, or Genoese basil
- Parmesan cheese – shredded
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil – Use the best quality oil you can get your hands on
- Pine nuts are typical for pesto, but you can substitute walnuts for a great result
- Garlic Cloves – Use 2 large cloves
- Lemon Juice – Use freshly squeezed juice from 1 large or 2 smaller lemons. Do not use lemon juice concentrate.
- Salt and pepper – can be added to taste
Although the traditional pesto sauce is made with pine nuts, you can, of course, replace the pine nuts with less expensive nuts such as walnuts or blanched almonds, which work just fine.
There are many varieties of basil. Some of the most popular include Italian broadleaf (sweet basil), Thai basil, and lemon basil.
Either can be used for pesto, but each has a slightly different flavor profile. For a traditional basil pesto flavor, you’ll want to use a large Italian leaf. It is the basil leaf that most people usually think of as “regular” basil. It is also called sweet basil or Genoese basil, and is available in most grocery stores.
Pro tip: After mixing the pesto, add more salt to taste if desired. Keep in mind that store-bought pesto sauces can be significantly saltier as they compensate for freshness. Salt also helps keep the sauce longer.
Serve Pesto sauce with
Basil pesto is a light and healthy summer sauce that adds incredible flavor to a variety of dishes. Sure, there are the obvious ways to use it, like mixing it into your favorite pasta dish or as a pizza base, but there’s so much more you can do with it!
- Spread on a sandwich as a pre-dinner snack
- Dilute it with oil or vinegar and make a salad dressing
- Pickle or mix with your favorite roasted or roasted vegetables.
- Meat Stuffing – Spread pesto on cooked chicken, salmon, pork tenderloin and of course beef tenderloin medallions.
Best pesto sauce
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Pesto sauce recipe
Pesto sauce is a universal Italian sauce. This recipe consists of olive oil, basil, and cheese. It is a great addition to any pasta dish, gnocchi or can be used as a sandwich spread.
Ingredients
- Fresh basil leaves – 2 cups (0.47 l) (tightly packed)
- Parmesan cheese (grated) – 3/4 cup
- Extra virgin olive oil – 1/2 cup
- Pine nuts, or walnuts – 1/2 cup
- Garlic – 2 cloves (large)
- Lemon juice – 1/4 cup (juice of 2 small lemons)
- Salt – 1/2 tsp, or to taste
- Black pepper (freshly ground) – 1/4 tsp.
Instructions
Wash and dry the basil leaves.
Place the basil in a food processor, add the cheese, nuts, garlic cloves, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Mix thoroughly until smooth.
If desired, add salt to taste.
Pesto sauce is ready! Bon appétit!
Notes
Another interesting green sauce is chimichurri, made from fresh parsley
Nutrition Information
Serving Size
8 servingsAmount Per Serving Calories 205Total Fat 21gSaturated Fat 4gCholesterol 8mgSodium 290mgCarbohydrates 2gFiber 1gSugar 1gProtein 3g
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Recipe based on website materials https://natashaskitchen.com