Basil pesto was born in Northern Italy, in the sea port region of Genoa. This traditional pesto sauce from the Cinque Terre region can be used to make a variety of dishes — from chicken pesto and sun dried tomato pesto to pesto salad and pesto pizza.
Before beginning the pesto, toast 1/2 to 1 cup pine nuts on a hot pan over high heat. Don't walk away from this, as they cook quickly. Shake pan continuously until they turn golden brown. Remove from heat.
In a food processor, pulse basil, garlic and toasted pine nuts for about a minute, scraping down with a rubber spatula. Add the grated parmesan cheese and sea salt. Slowly blend in the olive oil, a little at a time. Season with fresh cracked pepper and additional salt if desired.
Store in the refrigerator until ready to use, or make pesto pasta.
Make Your Pasta
To make pesto pasta, mix 2 cups cooked penne pasta with 1/2 cup fresh pesto. Add fresh diced rotisserie chicken for a chicken pesto recipe. Top with additional grated parmesan cheese, toasted pine nuts and fresh basil leaves if desired.
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Keyword basil, Italian, Italian recipes, noodles, pasta, pesto, pine nuts