Pesto - Marcella Hazan
Total Time
17 minutes
Prep Time
15 minutes
Cook Time
2 minutes
Rating
5 out of 5 stars
(4)
Ingredients
6 servings
- 2 cups fresh basil leaves, tightly packed
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons pine nuts
- 2 garlic cloves, chopped fine before putting in the processor
- salt
- 1/3 cup parmesan cheese, freshly grated (parrmigiano-reggiano)
- 2 tablespoons pecorino romano cheese, freshly grated (or pecorino fiore sardo)
- 3 tablespoons butter, softened to room temperature
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Preparation
Step 1
Briefly soak and wash the basil in cold water, and gently pat it thoroughly DRY with paper towels.
Step 2
Put the basil, olive oil, pine nuts, chopped garlic, and an ample pinch of salt in the processor bowl, and process to a uniform, creamy consistency.
Step 3
Transfer to a bowl, and mix in the two grated cheeses by hand. It is worth the slight effort to do it by hand to obtain the notably superior texture it produces.
Step 4
When the cheese has been evenly amalgamated with the other ingredients, mix in the softened butter, distributing it uniformly into the sauce.
Step 5
When spooning the pesto over pasta, dilute it slightly with a tablespoon or two of the hot water in which the pasta was cooked.
Step 6
Freezing pesto: Make the sauce through to the end of Step 2, cover with a layer of olive oil and freeze it without cheese and butter in it. Add the cheese and butter when it is thawed, just before serving.
Step 7
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