Pesto - an aromatic sauce from Italian Genoa with basil. Its preparation does not take much time, and the scope is very, very
extensive. In addition to the famous pasta "Pesto" sauce can be used in various snacks, served with fish or meat. In general, you need to learn it.
do at home!
Homemade Pesto Sauce - General Cooking Principles
• Basil. Genoa chefs pay particular attention to this ingredient. It is believed that for the sauce you need to use young twigs,
no larger than 5 cm. If basil overgrows, the dish may have an unpleasant bitterness.
• Cheese. The original recipe uses Parmesan. But more and more often at home pesto is prepared with other varieties.
• Nuts. Initially, pine nut kernels were used in recipes, but now more and more walnuts can be found. However he
also gives a pleasant taste and aroma, therefore, has the right to add. There are also recipes with cashews, peanuts, almonds. In general, the absence
pine nuts - this is not a reason to refuse cooking fragrant sauce.
• Butter. It is very important for the sauce to use real olive oil of direct extraction. It will give the filling a wonderful aroma,
very interesting aftertaste. If you do not like such a high fat content in pesto, then you can slightly reduce the amount of oil, but not
more than 30%.
• Garlic. It is added to all pesto sauces, usually you need a few cloves. If the vegetable is not juicy enough, it is better to chop it
separately, only after that add to the total mass.
• Cooking. Ingredients for pesto sauce are always ground. It is best to grind products in a mortar. If there is no time or
wishes then you can use an electric blender.
Classic “Pesto” sauce at home
The recipe for this Pesto sauce at home with olive oil and pine nuts. This technology does not imply use a knife, blender or other grinding devices. Only a mortar and pestle, plus a grater for cheese, can not do without it.
Ingredients
• 100 g parmesan;
• two cloves of garlic;
• 30 g of pine kernels;
• bunch of basil;
• 100 ml of natural olive oil.
Cooking
1. Tear off the leaves of washed basil from the twigs, put in a mortar. Add a pinch of coarse salt. You can take sea salt.
Take a pestle and begin to grind the mass to obtain a slurry.
2. Peel the garlic, add to the basil.
3. Purified cedar nut kernels are also shifted to the total mass. Pound the pestle all this for another two minutes.
4. Now we are engaged in Parmesan. In the preparation of this sauce other cheese is not used. Rub a piece on the smallest grater.
5. Pour the cheese to the rest of the product and rub for another minute all together.
6. Now we add natural olive oil, but not all at once. Better pour parts, each time carefully stir.
7. We shift the prepared sauce to the sauceboat, decorate it with a whole leaf of basil or kernels of pine nuts.
Homemade Pesto with Walnuts
A modified recipe for homemade pesto sauce with walnuts. They make a very interesting taste.
Ingredients
• bunch of basil;
• 8 walnuts;
• 5 spoons of butter;
• 3 cloves of garlic;
• 55 g Parmesan.
Cooking
1. Wash, dry basil, tear into pieces, throw in the mortar. Add salt, rub until juice appears.
2. Now we throw in the peeled garlic.
3. Next add walnuts. If you are afraid not to cope with them with a pestle, you can first chop with a knife.
4. Rub a fragrant mixture for a couple of minutes and add some grated Parmesan. Cook a few more minutes until the mass becomes more
homogeneous.
5. It's time to fill the “Pesto” with olive oil. Stir well, you can add some salt to taste and you're done!
Pesto sauce at home with avocado
Avocado is the perfect complement to pesto, very healthy and tasty. This fat fruit will help reduce the amount of oil consequently, reduce calorie content.
Ingredients
• 1 avocado;
• 40 grams of basil;
• 3 cloves of garlic;
• 2 spoons of water;
• 1 small lemon;
• 1 tbsp. l pine nuts or almonds;
• 2 spoons of butter;
• salt and pepper.
Cooking
1. To wash a lemon with a brush, to remove all wax raid. Take a grater and wipe off the whole zest. We spread it immediately in the bowl of the blender. Cut
citrus in half, squeeze out the juice, pour too there.
2. Now we wash the basil, pinch off the leaves, send after the lemon.
3. Add nuts and a couple of spoons of pure water.
4. Spread slices of garlic. We throw two pinches of salt, add oil and pepper. Beat the blender.
5. Cut the avocado in half, remove the bone. We take out the flesh, throw away the skin. Throw in a blender.
6. It remains only to whip everything well again, and the wonderful “Pesto” sauce is ready!
Homemade Pesto Sauce with Delicate Cream Cheese
The recipe for homemade pesto sauce, which has almost nothing to do with the original. It is less greasy, but also very tasty and tender.
For the preparation will need any soft cream cheese, you can take from the baths.
Ingredients
• a good bunch of basil;
• 2 cloves of garlic;
• 120 g cream cheese;
• 1 tbsp. l pine nuts (kernels);
• 1 tbsp. l olive oil;
• some salt.
Cooking
1. We start with greenery: we wash, dry the leaves, tear them into pieces, throw them in the mortar or in the cup from the blender. Second way
cooking does not require much time and effort.
2. We throw salt, peeled garlic cloves, add nuts. Beat a couple of minutes with a blender. Or arm with a pestle and grind 3-5
minutes
3. Now add soft cream cheese. Re-whip or just rubbing it all together. To taste we add salt sauce, you can throw
a pinch of black pepper.
4. At the very end, pour in a spoonful of olive oil.
Pesto sauce at home with arugula and almonds
Another very interesting recipe for homemade pesto sauce. Basil is added to it quite a bit, the main green ingredient - arugula. Ingredients
• 100 g of arugula;
• 3 basil sprigs;
• 80 ml of oil;
• 2 spoons of almond;
• 50 g Parmesan;
• 15 g garlic;
• 0.5 lemon.
Cooking
1. Chop the almonds with a knife or immediately chop them up with a blender. On request, use walnuts or plain peanuts, with him this
The sauce also works great.
2. Add arugula and fresh basil, squeeze out lemon juice, lay garlic cloves.
3. Blend the ingredients in the sauce with the blender for a minute to make the mass uniform.
4. Add salt and pepper, pour in olive oil, add grated finely Parmesan. You can take it a little less or more.
5. Once again, well beat the Italian sauce and it can be served on the table or used in the preparation of various dishes.
Homemade pesto sauce with balsamic vinegar
The recipe is very fragrant and delicious homemade sauce "Pesto". To taste vinegar, you can add more than what is listed. Besides
basil, here is added another green. Choose the most tender and juicy leaves.
Ingredients
• a bunch of dill;
• bunch of basil;
• 50 g Parmesan;
• 3 cloves of garlic;
• 2-3 sprigs of succulent cilantro;
• 3 spoons of any nuts;
• 3 tablespoons balm. vinegar;
• salt pepper.
Cooking
1. We tear hands with washed greens. If the branches are hard, then we use only the leaves. We put in the blender.
2. Peel garlic cloves. This is the minimum amount. If you wish, you can add more; we do it according to our taste preferences.
3. Now nuts. Take almonds, cedar or walnuts. Throw to the green. Put 0.3 tsp. salt and grind.
4. Now add the grated Parmesan, pour in balsamic vinegar, pepper. Re-beat.
5. It remains only to add oil, mix again. You can cut the butter in this sauce and add a little avocado pulp, with it
also turns out delicious.
Homemade “Pesto” Sauce with Dried Tomatoes and Walnuts
Another wonderful recipe for homemade sauce. In Italian dishes, dried tomatoes are often used. Why not add them to pesto?
Ingredients
• 6-7 dried tomatoes;
• 60 grams of parmesan;
• one big bunch of basil;
• 0.5 tsp. sea salt;
• two full spoons of water;
• 0.3 cups walnut kernels;
• 0.3 cups olives oil;
• two cloves of garlic;
• half a lemon.
Cooking
1. Peel the garlic, prepare basil. Chop it all together into a crumb with a large knife. Transfer to a bowl.
2. Grate parmesan, send to the total mass, pour in two spoons of water, throw salt, mash it all together for juiciness.
3. Add chopped garlic, chopped or grated walnuts in pesto. We continue to rub.
4. Pour in lemon juice, vegetable oil, stir.
5. Sun-dried tomatoes are cut into small pieces, the size of the rice grain. Fall asleep in the sauce.
6. Stir, let the pesto brew for about half an hour.
Homemade Pesto Sauce - Tips and Tricks
• Pesto can be used not only for pasta, sandwiches or meat, with this sauce you get a very tasty and flavorful pizza.
• If the sauce is not sharp enough, you can add chopped green pod of hot pepper. It’s better not to lay red vegetables,
so as not to spoil the classic color.
• Pesto is well in the refrigerator for several days, but you need to follow all the rules of sterility: rinse the products thoroughly,
dry, use clean dishes, and the storage jar needs to be sterilized. Additionally, for safety, you can add
a small spoonful of vinegar. You need to find a lid tight, the air should not get into the sauce.
