Pesto Sauce
Minimal ingredients — excellent result.
Ingredients: Olive oil, cheese, and basil are the main ingredients of pesto sauce. Classic pesto is made from basil, garlic, pine nuts, pecorino cheese, salt, and olive oil. In more affordable versions, cashews or walnuts replace pine nuts, and pecorino is substituted with Grana Padano or Parmesan. Sometimes sun-dried tomatoes are added to this sauce.
Properties and origin: The recipe for this sauce was discovered and developed in the Liguria region of northern Italy. The name "pesto" comes from the Italian words "pestare" and "pestato," meaning "to crush, to pound, to tread." Apparently, the sauce was named after its preparation method. The French version of this sauce is called "pistou" and is produced in Provence. In Germany, wild garlic is used instead of basil. In Austria, it is made from pumpkin seeds and known as "pumpkin pesto." It is known that this sauce was first made during the Roman Empire. However, the earliest documented references to it date back to 1865. Pesto sauce is sold in small jars and is usually green. Sometimes red pesto is produced, with tomatoes added to give it color.
Usage: Pesto sauce is most commonly mentioned as a dressing in soup recipes. It is also used in preparing fish, chicken, pasta, and especially fettuccine dishes. Pesto is often served spread on bread or crackers. The flavor of boiled potatoes and meat dishes is significantly enhanced when seasoned with pesto sauce.
Preparation recipe: To make pesto at home, a special marble mortar is traditionally used to grind all the ingredients into a thick, homogeneous paste.
Chef's tips: When preparing pesto with Parmesan, it is recommended not to add salt, as this cheese is quite salty. The finished sauce can be stored in the refrigerator for several days.
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