Genoese pesto

Ingredients for 100 servings:

• 2 kg basil
• 2 kg parsley
• 200 g garlic
• 250 g pine nuts
• 300 g cheese (Pecorino), grated (dry sheep’s cheese bought in a block and freshly grated)
• 1 liter of oil (good olive oil)
• 1 pinch of nutmeg, to taste
• Salt and pepper, not too much

Instructions

Working time approx. 1 hour; Total time approx. 1 hour

Pesto – my tip: In all the previous pesto recipes and descriptions, you can see how limitless people’s imaginations are. Clearly, there is a large pesto fan base, and I’d like to offer them a tip: Since it’s summer right now, it’s time to make the (mashed?) pesto for 2002/03, because in winter we will definitely not find such wonderful basil as we have now. Here in Italy, we prepare it once a year, just like the tomatoes for pasta sauce, etc. etc. Depending on average consumption, the amount needed for each family, individual, shared apartment, and of course, restaurants depends on the amount. For a family of four, the amount stated above is sufficient: Pick the basil leaves, do the same with the parsley, and wash them THOROUGHLY separately. Allow to dry thoroughly and don’t forget that residual water can cause pesto to rot! I emphasize; the name pesto comes from PESTARE (to pound), and pesto was originally made/pounded in a mortar. But now even an originality fanatic like me compromises and makes my pesto in a blender. It’s much faster and definitely tastes just as good. So now the herbs and garlic are first roughly chopped in the blender, followed by the pine nuts, a pinch of nutmeg, and the pecorino cheese. Then continue chopping until a smooth mixture is formed. When blending, you should be careful not to overheat the mixture by blending for too long, so do it quickly and properly. Place in a bowl and mix with half a liter of olive oil, then pour into one or more glass jars or a plastic container with a lid. Continue adding olive oil until the oil is about one centimeter above the pesto. At first, you should check frequently to see if the oil is above the pesto; if not, top it up, because as long as no air reaches the mixture, it will last forever. But a year should be enough, because next year you’ll have fantastic basil again. If you need it then, I recommend linguine. It’s the oddly flat spaghetti that tastes delicious with this sauce. When preparing these, you should avoid any cream and simply pour a little pasta water into the pan with the pesto, add the linguine, and a little Parmesan or Pecorino cheese. Mix together and enjoy!