Authentic Italian Pesto

Making homemade pesto pasta instantly transports me back to being in Cortona, Italy back in 2013 with my friend Jessie. To the open air market in the piazza where we tasted and bought fresh produce, cheese, charcuterie, and olives that melted like butter in our mouths every week. To rolling out and cutting homemade pasta for the first time by hand and hanging it on the stairway railing to dry. To crushing and pounding fresh basil in a mortar and pestle for the pesto, releasing an intoxicating aroma that I will never forget.

In true Italian fashion, this recipe and method requires you to slow down and really interact with each ingredient. There’s something so satisfying about engaging with every ingredient and every step of a meal. It’s also great for getting your friends and family involved in the process!

My favorite thing is to create an authentic, nine-course Italian meal complete with wine from our local wine shop for special occasions with our friends and family. Fun fact: in Italy, pasta isn’t the main course. It comes after several appetizers and before the main entree consisting of meat and vegetables. Whether you decide to eat pasta as a main dish or as part of a larger meal, I think you’ll really enjoy this authentic Italian pesto!

This recipe is very forgiving, and can easily be tweaked based on your preferences. I personally believe you can never have too much garlic, so you’ll notice that I use a lot of it. I always eyeball the quantities, but this is a rough idea that will get you where you need to go. It’s a fairly large batch of pesto because we use it with a lot of pasta, but you could easily scale it down if you don’t want leftovers (trust me, you do).

TOOLS NEEDED:

Large Mortar & Pestle

Cheese Grater

INGREDIENTS:

Fresh Basil Leaves (2 whole plants from Whole Foods)

Pine Nuts (~1/4 cup)

Garlic (5-6 cloves), minced

Block of Pecorino (~3/4 cup)

Block of Parmeggiano (~3/4 cup)

Olive Oil (~ 1 cup)

Salt

Dried or Fresh Pasta

INSTRUCTIONS:

Prep:

Rinse & dry the basil leaves and set aside enough for garnishes. Grate both cheeses finely, and set aside enough to sprinkle over each dish. Mince the fresh garlic cloves.

In a mortar & pestle:

Place the basil leaves in the mortar and pestle and crush until they are completely broken down. Then add the pine nuts and do the same. It will become creamier as you go and turn into a paste. After all the pine nuts are crushed, add the freshly minced garlic and continue to crush until it all becomes a thick paste.

When everything is completely crushed into a thick paste, stir in the cheeses & olive oil. Add salt to taste. Adjust the quantity of the olive oil, salt, or cheese to taste if needed. Serve with pasta immediately or cover and put in the fridge to let the flavors infuse with the olive oil. Use within a couple of days.

To serve with pasta:

Boil water, making sure to salt it well. Add whatever pasta you are using to the water and cook. (For homemade pasta, we use the egg dough recipe from Thomas McNaughton‘s Flour + Water: Pasta.) Right before you drain the pasta, save some of the pasta water in a mug or bowl. Once you’ve drained the pasta in a colander, add the pasta back to the pot. Pour the pesto over the pasta, add a little bit of the pasta water, and stir. The starches in the water will help the pesto bind to the pasta! Stir until all of the pasta is thoroughly coated. Plate the pasta and garnish with some grated cheese and a basil leaf, and eat immediately. Leftovers (if there are any) save and reheat really well!