Did you know pesto means Italian sauce? Originating in Genoa, the capital city of Liguria in Italy, pesto traditionally consists of crushed garlic, European pine nuts, coarse salt, basil, Parmigiano-Reggiano (Parmesan cheese) and pecorino sardo (cheese made from sheep’s milk), all blended miraculously with olive oil.
The beauty of pesto – besides how phenomenal it tastes – is how incredibly easy it is to make. You can whizz up your own delicious pesto in 10 minutes.
Moreover, pesto is incredibly versatile. Here I have made a vegan version of pesto (minus the parmesan) and combined it with some pasta, thrown in some sun-dried tomatoes and torn basil plus roasted pine nuts to come up with a fast-fix meal that will surely impress your guests (if not yourself).
Altogether, this will take you no more than 30 minutes to prepare and dish up. To accompany your culinary adventure, here are a few selected remixes to play in the background:
– This is what you came for
– I took a pill in ibiza vs lean on
– Cake by the ocean
What are you waiting for?
INGREDIENTS:
For the pesto:
☆ Two bunches of fresh basil (about 80g)
☆ 50g of pine nuts
☆ 2 garlic cloves
☆ 150ml of extra virgin olive oil
Others:
☆ One cup of pasta (rigatoni, penne, and farfelle are great choices)
☆ 5 sundried tomatoes, sliced
☆ Sea salt and black pepper, to taste
☆ Freshly torn basil
METHOD:
1. Bring a pot of lightly salted water to a rolling boil, cook the pasta until al dente (read instructions but roughly about 8 minutes). Drain. Transfer pasta to a bowl.
2. As pasta is boiling, slice the sun-dried tomatoes into thin slices. Set aside.
3. Make the pesto. Using either a blender or food processor, throw in the basil leaves, pine nuts, peeled garlic cloves, and add olive oil and pinch of black pepper and salt. Blend until thoroughly combined.
4. Pour pesto over pasta set aside in the bowl. Throw in the sundried tomatoes and mix with a pair of tongs until all coated evenly. Transfer to serving plate and garnish with the torn basil.
Follow this link to find more pasta options, order online for a great dining experience!