Pesto is a classic Italian sauce, probably one of the most famous sauces in the world. Made from fresh basil leaves, Parmesan cheese, nuts (in the original recipe β pine nuts), garlic, and olive oil, it gives any dish a special aroma and flavor. It can be purchased ready-made or prepared at home.Β
Since it is easy to buy fresh basil at the market in summer, we couldn't resist making pesto sauce ourselves.
ΡΠ°ΠΌΠ΅ ΡΠ°ΠΊΠΈΠΉ "Π±ΡΠΊΠ΅Ρ" Π±Π°Π·ΠΈΠ»ΡΠΊΡ ΠΌΠΈ ΠΏΡΠΈΠ΄Π±Π°Π»ΠΈ Π½Π° ΡΠΈΠ½ΠΊΡ
What we ended up with (spoiler β it was so delicious that we could hardly resist eating all the prepared sauce at once) β we will tell and show in this post.
Time spent: up to 15 minutes
Difficulty: 2 out of 5
Cost of ingredients: average (may go to "above average" status if we use pine nuts)
We will need:
100 g of fresh basil leaves
70 g of Parmesan cheese
3 cloves of garlic
100 ml of first cold-pressed olive oil
50 g of cashew nuts (the original recipe uses pine nuts, but you can also choose cashews)
Salt to tasteΒ
Black pepper to taste
ΠΏΡΠΎΠ΄ΡΠΊΡΠΎΠ²ΠΈΠΉ Π½Π°Π±ΡΡ
Preparation
We separate the basil leaves from the stems (if we add stems to the sauce β there is a risk that it will taste bitter. Basil flowers can be added, we have tried it from our own experience). We place them in a container, rinse thoroughly, and dry with paper towels.
We cut the garlic into large pieces.
ΠΎΡΡ ΡΠ°ΠΊΠΈΠΌΠΈ ΡΠΌΠ°ΡΠΊΠ°ΠΌΠΈ
We place the basil leaves in the blender bowl, add the garlic, and start chopping at medium speed.
ΠΏΠΎΠΊΠ»Π°Π»ΠΈ Π² ΡΠ°ΡΡ
Π² ΠΏΡΠΎΡΠ΅ΡΡ ΠΏΠΎΠ΄ΡΡΠ±Π½Π΅Π½Π½Ρ
Gradually pour in the olive oil (the chopping process will speed up immediately), and start adding the nuts. We let the blender work for 2-3 minutes.
Π΄ΠΎΠ΄Π°ΡΠΌΠΎ ΠΎΠ»ΡΡ
Π΄ΠΎΠ΄Π°ΡΠΌΠΎ ΠΊΠ΅Ρ'Ρ
During this time, we grate the Parmesan on a fine grater.
Π½Π°ΡΠ΅ΡΠ»ΠΈ ΠΏΠ°ΡΠΌΠ΅Π·Π°Π³
We transfer the chopped basil with garlic, nuts, and oil from the bowl. We combine all the ingredients together, add black pepper and salt.
ΠΏΠ΅ΡΠ΅Π΄ Π·ΠΌΡΡΡΠ²Π°Π½Π½ΡΠΌ
Start with a pinch of salt, as Parmesan already adds saltiness to the sauce. Mix thoroughly and you can taste it.Β
Π²ΡΠ°-Π»Ρ!
The finished pesto sauce can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for one to two weeks. For better storage, you can pour a small amount of olive oil over the top layer of the sauce.
Pesto sauce is the perfect addition to pasta. Just add a few teaspoons β and trivial flour products turn into a restaurant dish. Pesto also works great as a salad dressing. It pairs perfectly with meat, fish, and even simple crispy toasts. It is also hard to imagine a classic Italian minestrone soup and Caprese salad without it.
