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Proper Pesto

4

20 min

Proper Pesto

Proper Pesto Photo 1

Time

20 min

Serving

8 persons

Calories

181

Rating

4.00★ (74)

Cuisine

Author: Victoria Buriak
Try this proper mortar and pestle pesto. There are lots of recipes people claim taste better if made by hand, but there's no easier case to prove that than pesto. The intensity of the flavors is beyond compare, and as if by some kind of magic, this gorgeous spread develops an irresistible spiciness. You can taste each ingredient, and yet when smashed together, new and wonderful flavors are released.

Ingredients

  • garlic: 4 clove (peeled)
  • kosher salt: 0.25 tsp
  • bunch fresh basil (about 4 to 5 ounces): 1 piece
  • pine nuts: 3 Tbsp
  • ounces finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese: 2 piece
  • mild extra-virgin olive oil: 0.5 cup

Metric Conversion

Stages of cooking

Proper Pesto Photo 21
Proper Pesto Photo 32
Proper Pesto Photo 4 3
  1. Crush garlic and pinch of kosher salt in a mortar with the pestle until garlic is mashed and paste-like, 1 or 2 minutes. Add basil in 3 or 4 additions, crushing and pounding down the leaves until they form a fairly fine paste, about 8 minutes or more depending on size of leaves and thickness of stems. Add and pound in pine nuts.
    Proper Pesto Photo 2
  2. Transfer a handful of grated cheese to mortar and pound into the sauce. Add another handful of cheese and incorporate into the mixture. Continue adding cheese a handful at a time until completely incorporated, about 5 minutes.
    Proper Pesto Photo 3
  3. Drizzle in olive oil 1 tablespoon at a time, pounding it into the sauce. When all the olive oil has been added and emulsified into the mixture, transfer pesto to a bowl and drizzle the surface with olive oil.
    Proper Pesto Photo 4

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