The pesto sauce 

Every year, when the basil seedlings on the terrace and in the garden are full of beautiful leaves, it is time to prepare the Genoese pesto.
One of the cold condiments that prefer and that lends itself to many uses, in addition to the classic one for the pasta.

I certainly do not pretend to give the original recipe; only the one I use:
according to my guests it is perfect!

Although the pesto should be used freshly prepared ... sometimes it happens to prepare more than you need and keep it for the next day, or to store it in the freezer.
And since if there is too much cheese the result when it is unfrozen is never excellent, I prefer as my rule always use it in small quantities during preparation, although for immediate use: when I use it I add the necessary amount of pecorino cheese and parmesan to complete it.

A small note, then, regarding the oil - strictly EVO - olive oil; some recipes indicate adding it after crushing the leaves. I prefer to add a little bit more and for a reason quite simple: since ancient times, in the absence of alcohol, olive oil has been used to prepare perfumes, because among its qualities is to avoid that the essential aromas evaporate. Nothing better then to immediately retain all the aroma and flavor of basil; amalgamated and bound to the aromas of garlic and pine nuts!

Pesto, I prepare it like this.

Ingredients:

In this list it is missing one ingredient, essential:
the patience to keep working the sauce until it is perfect!

Preparation:

Put the garlic into small pieces into the mortar, the pine nuts and part of the salt: the coarse salt helps to grind the ingredients and keep the green of the basil.
Work with the pestle until obtaining a coarse paste.

Add the basil leaves chopped by hand, the rest of the salt and continue to work with the pestle by adding some of the oil.

Now add cheese, only a small part if the pesto will stored in jars in the freezer.

Continue stirring and turning pestellando mortar. Add gradually the olive oil so as to obtain at the end a fluid but thick sauce.

Pesto is ready: enjoy your meal!

ADVICES AND NOTES:

• Recipe, text only: to print or download.
• Garlic: the standard amount for garlic is two cloves but, in case of small cloves, three are lawful: and if you love garlic, essential!
• The ideal is to serve the pesto to season trenette or trofie; cooking in the same water also potatoes into pieces and green beans. But also pens or spaghetti are just fine!
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• As written above, I prefer to add only the minimum amount of cheese during the preparation; and in any case only pecorino. The rest of the grain, diluted with a little oil, can then be added directly into the serving soup tureen; which will eventually be decorated with some fresh basil leaves.
• In addition to pasta, pesto is excellent even if spread on nice croutons!
• See also: Il pesto quick to the blender, Wild garlic pesto - Wild garlic pesto, Pesto, freezer and technology, Walnut sauce (Ligurian cuisine), pasta to pesto (Light version)

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