BA's Best Pesto Pasta
ID: 84a7f710...
This classic recipe demonstrates how to make authentic pesto Genovese using both a traditional mortar and pestle and a modern food processor. The fresh pesto is then tossed with hot pasta, reserved cooking water, and a touch of butter to create a perfectly emulsified, rich, and glossy sauce.
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🍳 Cooking Flow
Toast the pine nuts at 300°F until golden brown. → Grind garlic, toasted pine nuts, and Parmesan cheese into a fine paste. → Incorporate basil leaves and gradually emulsify with extra-virgin olive oil. → Boil pasta until al dente and reserve cooking water. → Toss hot pasta with pesto, butter, and reserved pasta water until creamy.
Cooking Steps
Brief Cooking Order
Toast the pine nuts at 300°F until golden brown. → Grind garlic, toasted pine nuts, and Parmesan cheese into a fine paste. → Incorporate basil leaves and gradually emulsify with extra-virgin olive oil. → Boil pasta until al dente and reserve cooking water. → Toss hot pasta with pesto, butter, and reserved pasta water until creamy.
Introduction
This classic recipe demonstrates how to make authentic pesto Genovese using both a traditional mortar and pestle and a modern food processor. The fresh pesto is then tossed with hot pasta, reserved cooking water, and a touch of butter to create a perfectly emulsified, rich, and glossy sauce.
Step 1
Toast pine nuts on a baking sheet in a 300°F oven until golden brown, then set aside to cool.
Step 2
For the mortar and pestle method: Crush the garlic cloves with a pinch of salt into a smooth paste. Add toasted pine nuts and grind until a thick paste forms.
Step 3
Add fresh basil leaves in batches, grinding them against the sides of the mortar to release their oils. Grind in another pinch of salt and then stir in the grated Parmesan cheese.
Step 4
Slowly drizzle in the extra-virgin olive oil while swirling the pestle to emulsify the mixture into a sauce.
Step 5
For the food processor method: Grate garlic using a microplane into the processor bowl, add the toasted pine nuts, and pulse into a paste. Add grated cheese and pulse to combine.
Ingredients List
Important Notes
Adding basil at the very end when using a food processor prevents the blades from overheating and bruising the leaves, keeping the pesto bright green.
The mortar and pestle method yields a rustic, textured, and darker pesto, while the food processor results in a smoother, creamier texture.
Finishing the pasta with unsalted butter is a non-traditional chef's trick that binds the pesto and pasta water into a velvety sauce.
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