The Basics: How to Make Basil Pesto

Published on Friday, July 2, 2010, by CHOW Food Team / Edit Post

From the store to the kitchen to the table: The Basics outline the steps that get you from raw ingredients to your dinner tonight, free of complicated techniques. It’s a method you’ll remember and whip out whenever you like. It is the most basic way to make the thing you’re making.

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WHAT YOU’LL NEED:

  • • a food processor fitted with a blade attachment
  • • several bunches of fresh basil (enough for about 4 cups of tightly packed basil leaves)
  • • a big handful of finely grated Parmesan cheese (about 1/2 cup)
  • • a small handful of toasted pine nuts (you can quickly toast raw nuts in a dry frying pan over medium-low heat for a few minutes)
  • • a medium clove of garlic, minced
  • • salt
  • • 1/3 cup good-quality olive oil

Get started! »

Basil Pesto
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POST A COMMENT |19 Comments

COMMENT

  • Why can't you use the stems? Are they bitter?

  • In the recipe above, "parmesan" should read "pecorino." It's much better that way.

    As for alternatives to pine nuts, I've used sunflower seeds with decent results. Not bad, but not as good as good ol' pine nuts.

  • @ Rocky (or anyone else) - how did you preserve all the extra jars?

  • Brancron, I grew up in a large Ligurian family. When it was time to harvest the enormous amount of basil crop, we used the mezzaluna. Of course, the mortar and pestle is the traditional way, but we filled dozens of jars of pesto to get us through the winter. The mezzaluna made 'mass production' easier. If one is making a single portion fresh for dinner, one should use the mortar and pestle if...+READ

    Brancron, I grew up in a large Ligurian family. When it was time to harvest the enormous amount of basil crop, we used the mezzaluna. Of course, the mortar and pestle is the traditional way, but we filled dozens of jars of pesto to get us through the winter. The mezzaluna made 'mass production' easier. If one is making a single portion fresh for dinner, one should use the mortar and pestle if they have one But don't say I'm "wrong" or that the mezzaluna is "ridiculous". Re the shredding/ripping etc, I'm not saying that the results shouldn't be a beautiful green paste. Absolutely it should. But the method is as I described.it. The result is not supposed to look like clippings in a pale matrix but neither should the leaves be pounded into oblivion. The point is to avoid the similar sludge of the blender/processor.-COLLAPSE

  • I like a touch of lemon juice in my pesto. As it if wasn't fresh already!

  • Ue' ragazzi, I've been living 20 miles from where pesto was invented (Genova) for 20 years, and I assure you that pesto is NOT pesto if you don't use pecorino cheese. This travesty is perpetuated in most stateside recipes and we need to stop it! ;-)
    This recipe also needs twice as much garlic and more olive oil. You want a loose paste, not a stiff pulp.

  • Has anyone else found this to be true? At The New Deli, we process the basil with the olive oil first. It seems to "protect" the basil leaves, and the pesto gets less oxidized and stays greener. I've made so many batches over the past 25 years at the deli, freezing extra portions and noting how well the pesto holds up. When I've added the garlic next, then the parmesan and pine nuts, it's...+READ

    Has anyone else found this to be true? At The New Deli, we process the basil with the olive oil first. It seems to "protect" the basil leaves, and the pesto gets less oxidized and stays greener. I've made so many batches over the past 25 years at the deli, freezing extra portions and noting how well the pesto holds up. When I've added the garlic next, then the parmesan and pine nuts, it's greener! ALSO: I experimented with dipping the basil into boiling water, then ice water (to supposedly bring out the green color); it did NOT make any difference!-COLLAPSE

  • The idea of not wanting to "damage" the basil leaves is totally wrong. They shouldn't be delicately ripped or hand-torn or cut with a ridiculous mezzaluna. They should be processed into a fine PASTE. But, you say, won't that cause all the delicious oils and flavors to come out of the basil? That's the point! Do you want a toad-colored pesto with shreds of basil clippings in it, or do you want a...+READ

    The idea of not wanting to "damage" the basil leaves is totally wrong. They shouldn't be delicately ripped or hand-torn or cut with a ridiculous mezzaluna. They should be processed into a fine PASTE. But, you say, won't that cause all the delicious oils and flavors to come out of the basil? That's the point! Do you want a toad-colored pesto with shreds of basil clippings in it, or do you want a vivid green paste that has a deep basil flavor?-COLLAPSE

  • I use Asiago cheese, and fresh lemon, and twice the amount of garlic (but that is my taste). You can also use walnuts, but it is not as good. I also do use a processor,

  • Be very careful with the kind of pine nuts you use. there is an epidemic of a condition called "pine mouth"( do an internet search of "pinemouth" a form a dysgeusia. this is a chemical alteration of your taste buds which can last up to two weeks- it makes everything taste metallic. it is truly horrible. this has been primarily described with pinenuts from china- and buying them at whole foods or...+READ

    Be very careful with the kind of pine nuts you use. there is an epidemic of a condition called "pine mouth"( do an internet search of "pinemouth" a form a dysgeusia. this is a chemical alteration of your taste buds which can last up to two weeks- it makes everything taste metallic. it is truly horrible. this has been primarily described with pinenuts from china- and buying them at whole foods or natural food store is not protection. you have been warned!! pistachios are a nice sub.-COLLAPSE

  • Pine nuts are not strictly mandatory but not simply optional either. They are important to the recipe.. Pesto shouldn't ever feel heavy. If it does, maybe too much is being used. Rule of thumb is one clove of garlic for every 30 basil leaves. The garlic should be of the less pungent kind if possible. Food processors and blenders are not optimal as best results are obtained from gently ripping the...+READ

    Pine nuts are not strictly mandatory but not simply optional either. They are important to the recipe.. Pesto shouldn't ever feel heavy. If it does, maybe too much is being used. Rule of thumb is one clove of garlic for every 30 basil leaves. The garlic should be of the less pungent kind if possible. Food processors and blenders are not optimal as best results are obtained from gently ripping the leaves, not mashing or shredding them. Even with a mortar and pestle, one must be careful as to not seriously pound the leaves into pulp. Use gentle circular motions to shred. This prevents the basil oils and flavors from escaping the leaves. Also, often, too little olive oil is used. I would double the amount in this recipe. People shouldn't worry about too much oil. You only use a tblspn or two of pesto in a portion. That really doesn't add up to a lot of oil. And When seasoning the pasta, the pesto should be diluted in some of the cooking water. As a compromise, .I use a mortar and pestle for the garlic and pinoli, but chop the leaves on a cutting board with a half moon blade. Then I mix them.-COLLAPSE

  • Hello. I am a pesto pasta addict and i'm so thankful that you have this Basil Pesto Basics. Basil really smells so good.

  • I love pesto! Thanks for sharing the recipe. Can the pine nuts be omitted? I find pesto sauce tends to be heavy when served with pasta.

  • A mortar and pestle makes pesto. A food processor makes disgusting sludge.

  • Although pine nuts are traditional, they can be very pricey, especially if you have a garden full of basil that you want to pesto-ize. Walnuts make an OK substitute. Not perfect, but OK. When my basil is in, I make big batches to freeze in small containers. Yes, there is the discoloration problem, but it sure tastes great in the dead of winter or when added to a pot of home-made red "gravy" or...+READ

    Although pine nuts are traditional, they can be very pricey, especially if you have a garden full of basil that you want to pesto-ize. Walnuts make an OK substitute. Not perfect, but OK. When my basil is in, I make big batches to freeze in small containers. Yes, there is the discoloration problem, but it sure tastes great in the dead of winter or when added to a pot of home-made red "gravy" or vegetable soup. My husband has even been known to smear it on crackers. He's such a heathen.-COLLAPSE

  • I recently made Genovese basil pesto (food processor method), with the same ingredients as listed here, except it called for 2 TBSP of room-temp un-salted butter blended in by hand at the end. It was very rich and creamy, especially in combination with the parmigiano reggiano. Great for pasta!

  • Personally, I find Marcella Hazan's recipe for Pesto the best I have tried. She recommends mixing everything including the olive oil in a mixer for the exception of the cheese (combination of parmesan with pecorinno) which is mixed in by hand at the very end - I find this works really well and is easy enough . The only thing which might put people off is the amount of olive oil - for 2 cups worth...+READ

    Personally, I find Marcella Hazan's recipe for Pesto the best I have tried. She recommends mixing everything including the olive oil in a mixer for the exception of the cheese (combination of parmesan with pecorinno) which is mixed in by hand at the very end - I find this works really well and is easy enough . The only thing which might put people off is the amount of olive oil - for 2 cups worth of basil leaves she indicates 1/2 cup of oil ! The recipe given here is probably much healthier in terms of number of calories, I suppose.-COLLAPSE

  • Blender and food processor basil pesto is generally made with a good deal of parsley because of the tendency of basil to turn black when cut. A mortar and pestle is a better choice, though many cooks will have neither the patience nor the equipment. Or have arthritis. It seems to me the recipes in this series have been a bit quirky for basic recipes- widely used practices should at least be...+READ

    Blender and food processor basil pesto is generally made with a good deal of parsley because of the tendency of basil to turn black when cut. A mortar and pestle is a better choice, though many cooks will have neither the patience nor the equipment. Or have arthritis. It seems to me the recipes in this series have been a bit quirky for basic recipes- widely used practices should at least be mentioned, if not included.-COLLAPSE

  • I like my pesto with a good shot of lemon juice -- really perks things up for summer!
    http://operagirlcooks.com