Fresh Basil Pesto Pasta

There are many interesting health benefits that pesto has. Thanks to ingredients like basil and garlic, pesto is packed with numerous antioxidants. This will not only help you to stay healthy but prevent serious illnesses, like cancer, from developing. Pesto can also help to normalize your blood pressure.

Pesto, or pesto alla genovese, is a sauce originating in Genoa, the capital city of Liguria, Italy. It traditionally consists of crushed garlic, European pine nuts, coarse salt, basil leaves, and hard cheese such as Parmigiano-Reggiano or Pecorino Sardo, all blended with olive oil

Pesto Sause

The name is the past participle of the Genoese verb pestâ (Italian: pestare), which means "to pound", "to crush", in reference to the original method of preparation: according to tradition, the ingredients are "crushed" or ground in a marble mortar through a circular motion of a wooden pestle. This same Latin root, through Old French, also gave rise to the English noun pestle.

Pesto

How Long Does Pesto Last? This easy basil pesto sauce will last up to 5 days in the refrigerator if stored in an airtight container.

How long does homemade pesto last in freezer? Store pesto in jars or airtight container in the refrigerator for about a week. Another way to store pesto is in the freezer (for about 6 months).

How do you unfreeze pesto? You can try putting it in the refrigerator for a while until it's ready to use or pop it in the microwave on the defrost setting. Stop the microwave to stir it and repeat this until it has thawed completely and is ready to use.

Watch the video recipe

Pesto Sauce Recipe

Ingredients

4 cloves garlic, peeled

¼ teaspoon kosher salt

1 large bunch of fresh basil

3 tablespoons pine nuts

2 ounces finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

½ cup mild extra-virgin olive oil

Directions

Step 1

Crush garlic and pinch of kosher salt in a mortar with the pestle until garlic is mashed and paste-like, 1 or 2 minutes. Add basil in 3 or 4 additions, crushing and pounding down the leaves until they form a fairly fine paste, about 8 minutes or more depending on the size of leaves and thickness of stems. Add and pound in pine nuts.n

Step 2

Transfer a handful of grated cheese to mortar and pound into the sauce. Add another handful of cheese and incorporate it into the mixture. Continue adding cheese a handful at a time until completely incorporated, about 5 minutes.n

Step 3

Drizzle in olive oil 1 tablespoon at a time, pounding it into the sauce. When all the olive oil has been added and emulsified into the mixture, transfer the pesto to a bowl and drizzle the surface with olive oil.