Italian cuisine is famous for its sauces. However, in order to enjoy the wonderful taste of pesto sauce, it is not at all necessary to go to Italy or a restaurant of European cuisine. Each can cook this sauce on their own.
It is believed that for the first time pesto sauce appeared in the Roman Empire, however, the first documentary evidence that mentions the preparation of this sauce is dated to the middle of the XIX century. Most often, the sauce is served with pasta, lasagna, it is used during cooking soups, some of them spread it on bread and crackers. There are many variations of pesto, but there are 3 ingredients found in each recipe - this is olive oil, basil and cheese. Traditionally, the color of the sauce is green, but if you put dried tomatoes in it while it is cooking, it will turn red.
Pesto sauce. Classic recipe
You will need:
- basil - 1 bunch,
- garlic - 1 clove,
- pine nuts - 40 grams,
- Parmesan cheese - 50 grams,
- salt - to taste,
- olive oil - 7 teaspoons.
Method of preparation
- Basil is mine. Drain. Large cut.
- Garlic clean. Cut into slices.
- We clean pine nuts from the shells.
- Grate cheese.
- Mix all ingredients, add olive oil.
- Pound in a mortar.
- If necessary, add some salt. Stir. The sauce is ready!
The classic method of preparing pesto sauce involves grinding ingredients in a mortar, but to save time and effort, you can mix the ingredients in a blender. This method is currently used not only by housewives, but even by chefs of Italian restaurants.
Parsley parsley and cilantro pesto
You will need:
- cilantro - 2/3 of the beam,
- parsley - 1/3 of the bunch,
- Parmesan - 50 grams (can be replaced with any hard cheese varieties),
- pine nuts - 30 grams (if necessary, you can use pistachios or cashews instead),
- olive oil - 100 ml,
- salt to taste.
Method of preparation
- Rinse the greens. Drain. Separate the leaves from the stems. Large chopped.
- Garlic clean. Cut into slices.
- Grate cheese.
- Put some greens, cheese, nuts, and garlic in a blender.
- Add some olive oil.
- Grind the ingredients, gradually adding to the mass of the remnants of herbs and oil. It is not necessary to grind the sauce until smooth, just enough to combine and chop a little food. Done!
Arugula pesto
You will need:
- arugula - 2 bunches,
- pistachios green peeled - 1/3 cup,
- olive oil - 1/4 cup,
- allago cheese - 50 grams,
- lemon peel - 2 tsp,
- lemon juice - 1 tablespoon,
- ground black pepper - to taste,
- salt to taste.
Method of preparation
- My rucolla. Drain.
- We rub cheese on a fine grater.
- Garlic clean. Grind in a blender.
- Add cheese and pistachios. We grind.
- Add rucolla leaves and lemon zest.
- Pour in lemon juice. Grind to a pasty mass.
- Without ceasing to beat, add olive oil to the sauce.
- Salt, pepper. If necessary, add a little more lemon juice. Stir well. We remove the sauce in a cool place, in a couple of hours it is ready to eat.
Pesto from dried tomatoes and walnuts
You will need:
- basil - 1 bunch,
- sun-dried tomatoes - 6 pieces,
- garlic - 1 clove,
- Parmesan cheese - 50 grams,
- chopped walnuts - 1/3 cup,
- olive oil - 1/3 cup,
- water - 2 tablespoons,
- sea salt - 1/2 tsp,
- freshly ground black pepper - 1/4 tsp.
Method of preparation
- Garlic clean. Finely chopped.
- Basil is mine. Drain. Separate the leaves from the stems.
- Grate cheese.
- Cut dried tomatoes.
- We put everything listed in the bowl of the combine.
- Pour in water.
- Salt, pepper.
- Grind to a smooth mass, gradually pouring in olive oil. As soon as pesto acquires the consistency of thick paste, turn off the blender, transfer the sauce to a glass jar, and we can take a sample.
Pesto from asparagus and pistachios
You will need:
- asparagus green - 200 grams,
- spinach fresh leaves - 100 grams,
- Parmesan cheese - 50 grams,
- garlic - 1 clove,
- olive oil - 3 tablespoons,
- peeled pistachios - 2 tablespoons,
- lemon juice - to taste,
- salt to taste.
Method of preparation
- Boil the asparagus in boiling water. Flush. Cut into small pieces.
- Spinach is my. Drain. Chop.
- Garlic clean.
- Grate cheese.
- Combine the prepared ingredients in a blender by adding olive oil and lemon juice.
- Salt and grind to a homogeneous mass. Italian sauce is ready!
Mayonnaise pesto
You will need:
- basil - 1/2 bunch,
- vegetable oil - 2 glasses,
- olive oil - 2 tablespoons,
- mustard - 1 tsp,
- white vinegar - 1 tsp,
- egg yolk - 2 pieces,
- salt to taste.
Method of preparation
- Basil is mine. For a quarter of a minute we immerse in boiling water, and then we ship into ice-cold water and recline in a colander.
- The basil leaves freed from excess moisture are ground in a blender along with olive oil for a couple of minutes. We shift the resulting mass in a bowl.
- Beat yolks, vinegar and mustard in a blender, gradually pouring in vegetable oil.
- After the mass begins to resemble mayonnaise, add a little water. Stir. The sauce should pour.
- Add basil to mayonnaise, add some salt and mix well. Mayonnaise pesto is ready to eat!
Lemon Pesto
You will need:
- basil - 4 bunches,
- peeled pine nuts - 100 grams,
- grated Parmesan cheese - 100 grams,
- garlic - 3 cloves,
- lemon - 1/2 pieces,
- olive oil - 4 tablespoons,
- ground black pepper - to taste,
- sea salt - to taste.
Method of preparation
- Garlic clean. We grind.
- Grate cheese.
- Grind cheese, garlic and pine nuts in a blender.
- Basil is mine. Drain. Large chopped. Sent in garlic-cheese-nut mass and continue to beat.
- Add lemon juice and olive oil. Beat for a couple of minutes.
- Salt, pepper. Stir.
- We shift the lemon pesto to the vase and serve it to the table. Enjoy your meal!
