Each nation has its own national cuisine, which was created by great chefs for many centuries. One of such peoples is friendly spaghetti lovers, Italians, who introduced the whole world to their unusually delicious traditional dishes. Pizza, pasta, risotto, caprese, carpaccio, frittata - this is only a small part of what people like to eat and cook in our countries.
Italian cuisine is simply replete with a variety of delicious sauces: these are bechamel, marinara, banya cauda, tomato-passata and many other no less famous and mouth-watering dressings. We will devote our article to one of the most common Italian sauces - pesto, whose age is no less, but two hundred years old. It perfectly complements any dish, has an amazing taste and aroma, and most importantly, it is prepared from products quite available in our countries. Interesting? Then let's get started!
Classic recipe
First, consider the classic
pesto sauce
. The recipe at home is quite simple, and now you will see it. So, for its preparation we need:
- green basil ;
- garlic - 2 cloves;
- olive oil - 150 ml;
- pine nuts - 80 g;
- Parmesan - 100 g;
- sea coarse salt.
How to cook pesto at home? Homemade recipes of the classic version require the inclusion of parmesan, olive oil and basil. Other ingredients are just a flavoring supplement.
If you want to make a real pesto, then in this case it is better not to use a blender. To prepare it, you need to stock up with a metal mortar and pestle (wooden dishes in this case are best not to use, so as not to muffle the stunning aroma of our dressing). So, we put in the mortar a pre-washed and dried basil, sprinkle it with a pinch of sea salt and begin to carefully grind it to a mushy state. After that, gradually add finely chopped garlic and nuts. We continue to crush. Rub the parmesan cheese on a fine grater and add it to our basil mixture. Gradually we begin to introduce olive oil, mix, and that’s it, our classic version of pesto sauce is ready. Enjoy your meal!
What should be properly cooked pesto? The sauce should turn out to be a bright green color with a uniform and fairly thick consistency. To thicken, put it in the refrigerator for several hours.
Broccoli Cabbage Pesto
Pesto sauce, the step-by-step recipe of which we will now offer you, can be prepared using
broccoli cabbage, this will give our dish an unusual, aromatic and usefulness for our tired body. You can serve it with spaghetti and all kinds of salads. So, for its preparation we need:
- a small head of broccoli - 1 pc.;
- basil, preferably green - a bunch;
- pine nuts - 50 g;
- half a lemon;
- garlic - 1-2 cloves;
- olive oil - 6 tbsp. l .;
- sea coarse salt;
- ground black pepper.
Cooking process
My broccoli, sorted into inflorescences and begin to crush in a mortar. If, in your opinion, the process is too long, use a blender. Squeeze the juice from the lemon and add to the cabbage. Grind the basil with sea salt, then add the crushed garlic, nuts, bring to a mushy state. Salt, pepper, add a little olive oil and mix again. Everything, our pesto sauce is ready. The recipe at home, as you can see, is not so difficult to repeat. Enjoy your meal!
Hot pesto
Cooking this dish does not take much time, the main thing is that all the ingredients are at hand. This version of the sauce will be ideal for baked meat (as an option, it can be marinated in such a dressing). It will turn out very tender, with amazing taste, and most importantly, it will not lose its beneficial qualities. So, for its preparation we need:
- basil - 1 bunch;
- nuts, better cedar - 50 g;
- garlic - 2 cloves;
- Parmesan - 100 g;
- red chile - 1 pc.;
- olive oil - 100 g;
- coarse sea salt;
- ground pepper black and red.
Cooking process
Pre-washed and dried basil, together with salt, grind with a pestle to a mushy state. Add the nuts and chopped garlic. Slowly introduce olive oil. Peel the peppers, finely chop them, grate the cheese on a fine grater and add to the basil mixture. Once again, we’ll talk, and our pesto sauce, prepared at home according to all the rules, is ready. Enjoy your meal!
Beetroot pesto sauce. Homemade recipe
The usual classic pesto, as mentioned above, is prepared on the basis of basil. But the peculiarity of this sauce is that with the ingredients you can easily improvise and replace them with other, more available in our countries, for example beetroot. This is a very tasty and rich dressing for spaghetti and meat salads. So, for its preparation we need:
- young beets - 2 pcs.;
- Yalta onion - 1 pc.;
- walnuts or pine nuts - half a glass;
- Parmesan - 100 g;
- red chili pepper - half;
- olive oil - 100 g;
- garlic - 1 clove;
- salt.
Cooking process
We wash the beets well, cook, peel and grind in a blender. Add garlic, peeled chili peppers, nuts and onions. Slowly add olive oil, salt, sprinkle with pre-grated parmesan and mix. That's all, our pesto is ready. Enjoy your meal!
Lemon pesto
This sauce option is suitable for any Italian dish. To prepare it, we need:
- zest of one lemon;
- walnuts - half a glass;
- olive oil;
- garlic - 2 cloves;
- Parmesan cheese - 100 g;
- parsley - a bunch;
- salt.
Cooking process
Lemon pesto sauce, the detailed recipe of which we will tell you now, is prepared quickly enough, so you don’t have to think about how to season salad and pasta cooked for dinner. So, for starters, grate the lemon zest on a fine grater and put it in a blender bowl or mortar. There we add nuts, garlic, parsley and chop everything. We introduce olive oil, Parmesan cheese, salt and mix again. Everything, our pesto sauce is ready. Cooking at home, as can be seen from this recipe, does not take much time. Enjoy your meal!
Cream pesto
This option is perfect for a
salad with pasta and perfectly complements it. To make cream pesto sauce we need:
- basil - a bunch;
- pine nuts - half a cup;
- sea salt;
- yogurt - 200 g;
- fat cream - 60 ml (3 tbsp. l.);
- garlic - 2 cloves.
Cooking process
In a mortar or blender, grind basil with salt, add nuts and garlic. Pour yogurt with cream and mix thoroughly until smooth. Everything is very simple! Our pesto sauce is ready. Enjoy your meal!
Home storage
A couple of words I want to say about the storage of such a sauce. Pesto can be in the refrigerator for a long time - from 4 to 6 weeks. Keep it in sealed packaging. If you want the sauce to not discolour during this time, pour olive oil on top of it. And one more thing: do not add cheese to pesto before storage, otherwise it will not last long. Sprinkle better before immediate use.
If you like Italian cuisine, try making pesto. The recipe at home is no worse than that of the Italians themselves, the more you can safely improvise! But which of the hostesses does not like this?