History and description of the dish
Pesto sauce first appeared in Ancient Rome in the port city of Genoa.
There is no clear idea for what purpose this sauce was prepared.
However, there is an opinion: on the Ligurian coast, due to the large amount of basil, it was used as an ingredient in the sauce.
This is a simple assumption, since there is indeed an excess amount of basil.
There is also a random sauce version . One peasant, while making an ointment for eczema, dropped a mixture of basil and olive oil on his bread. And, in fact, I tried it, and since then they have been using this mixture in the kitchen.
Interesting! In the city of Pontedassio there is even a spaghetti museum, where tens of hundreds of recipes for the dish with various additives are collected.
Spaghetti with Pesto sauce is boiled noodles (pasta about 15 cm long and round in cross-section) with a green, aromatic, lumpy sauce.
Pasta with pesto and fresh tomatoes
For this recipe, you can use either ready-made pesto sauce or make it yourself using the tips from the recipes above. To prepare pasta with pesto you need:
- A couple of tablespoons of olive oil.
- Ready sauce - about 100 ml or to taste.
- 200 grams of pasta.
- A couple of ripe tomatoes.
- Salt and pepper.
- A teaspoon of Italian herb seasoning.
To begin, wash the tomatoes, cut them into slices, sprinkle with salt, pepper and spices. Place in a baking dish and add olive oil. They need to be covered with it. If necessary, you can increase the amount of oil. Place in the oven for twenty minutes.
Boil pasta until tender and season with pesto sauce. Pour in hot tomato oil and mix thoroughly. Place on plates. Before serving, place baked tomatoes on top.
Pesto pasta is a delicious alternative to the usual options. They cook quickly. Moreover, you can not only buy ready-made sauce, but also make it yourself, adjusting the ingredients to your taste. You can also combine this dish with chicken, tomatoes, fresh and canned vegetables.
Features of use
The peculiarity and uniqueness of the delicacy is that it is almost impossible to meet a person who does not love this dish. Everyone likes it, from young to old .
Depending on your preferences, you can choose what will serve as an additive in the main recipe . For example, add shrimp and your product becomes a gift from the depths of the sea. By adding mushrooms, you will feel notes of the forest thicket. And if you add tomatoes, you will remember the warm summer days in the countryside with your beloved grandmother.
Usually, this dish is part of lunch, less often - dinner . And for those who lead a very active lifestyle, you don’t have to regret supplements. Nothing will be deposited on their figure.
According to tradition, Italians include Pesto sauce in the wedding menu, they say, this is a good sign for the newlyweds, and also a sign of a rich table.
On the pages of our website we will tell you how to prepare carbonara with cream and bacon. Find out the recipe for a traditional Italian dish!
In the next article, look for a classic recipe for making the famous Bolognese pasta! You will learn several secrets from the chefs of Italy.
Would you like a recipe for delicious pasta with salmon in creamy sauce? You will find cooking recommendations here: https://expertitaly.ru/italyanskaya-kuhnya/pasta/s-moreproduktami.html.
Pesto rosso
Another recipe from Sicily. Almonds are also added here, but instead of fresh tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes are used. Roasted peppers are included if desired.
Ingredients:
- oil-dried tomatoes - 150 g
- roasted pepper - 1 pc.
- fresh basil - 30 g
- grated parmesan - 50 g
- almonds - 30 g
- garlic - 2 cloves
- Extra virgin olive oil – 100 ml
- salt - to taste
- freshly ground black pepper - to taste
- chili pepper flakes - to taste
Cooking method:
- Separate the basil leaves from the stems, wash and dry.
- Remove the skin from the almonds.
- Place sun-dried tomatoes, roasted peppers, almonds, garlic, and basil leaves into a blender bowl. Grind into a paste.
- Add grated Parmesan and chili flakes. Beat until smooth.
- Taste, salt and pepper. Pour in olive oil and stir.
The sauce goes well with poultry and grilled meats.
Pasta with pesto sauce and seafood - exotic restaurant
Ingredients:
- 180 g spaghetti;
- 400 g white asparagus;
- 230 g seafood (any);
- 50-60 ml cream 7% fat;
- 2 tbsp. l. pesto;
- salt, Italian seasonings.
Cooking time: 20 minutes.
Amount of calories per 100 g: 214 Kcal.
Cooking process:
- Peel the asparagus and cut into bars.
- Fry asparagus in a saucepan; use olive oil to create a delicious crust.
- Fry frozen seafood in a pan using a minimal amount of oil.
- Pour the mixture with cream, season with salt, simmer the ingredients together for no more than 7 minutes.
- At the same time, cook the spaghetti al dente in salted water.
- Drain the water from the pan and add the pasta to the pan.
- Gently mix all ingredients and serve with a tablespoon of Italian pasta seasoning.
Vegetable lovers will love pasta in a creamy sauce with delicately flavored zucchini.
Meat eaters will love the beef pasta; the recipe can be found here.
Pasta with chicken and mushrooms in a creamy sauce is very tasty; here you can learn how to prepare it.
Royal dish with king prawns
Ingredients:
- 270 g spaghetti;
- 105 g shrimp, frozen or bought fresh;
- 45-50 g cashews;
- 1 onion;
- ½ zucchini;
- ½ lemon;
- 2 tbsp. l. pesto;
- grated cheese for decoration;
- aromatic spices, pepper.
Cooking time: 20 minutes.
Amount of calories per 100 g: 340 Kcal.
Cooking process:
- Cook spaghetti in salted water.
- Peel the vegetables, wash the lemon, cut the ingredients into pieces.
- Fry the vegetables with cashews in a preheated frying pan; add garlic or onion to give the dish a contrasting taste.
- Fry the shrimp in the remaining oil, add garlic and lemon slices.
- Simmer the seafood with the citrus component for five minutes.
- Remove the garlic and lemon and serve the spaghetti with seafood, a tablespoon of pesto and a pinch of grated Parmesan.
The video shows in detail how to cook pasta with pesto sauce and shrimp:
Tuna recipe - a luxurious lunch in a couple of minutes
Ingredients:
- 110 g spaghetti, spirals or penne;
- 95 g canned tuna;
- ½ clove of garlic;
- 3 tsp. pesto, rosso;
- powdered garlic, basil leaf.
Cooking time: 15 minutes.
Number of calories per 100 g: 203.5 Kcal.
Cooking process:
- Cook the pasta and strain using a strainer.
- Add pieces of vitamin fish and a finely chopped clove of garlic to the finished ingredient.
- Serve warm pasta with cooled pesto and garnish with basil leaves.
Mushroom dish option for a romantic dinner
Ingredients:
- 400 g pasta;
- 250 g mushrooms;
- 150 g ham;
- 100 g pesto;
- 75 ml cream;
- 1 onion;
- olive oil for frying;
- thyme, basil to taste.
Cooking time: 30 minutes.
Amount of calories per 100 g: 172.5 Kcal.
Cooking process for pasta with mushrooms and pesto:
- Cut the onion and ham into rough cubes, and the mushrooms into slices.
- Place a little olive oil in a frying pan, add onion, simmer until the ingredient is transparent.
- Add the ham cubes and mushrooms and simmer for a few minutes over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
- Pour cream and pesto over the ingredients, stir, season with salt, pepper and basil.
- Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package instructions.
- Mix the ingredients of the dish thoroughly; you can decorate the finished pasta with a basil leaf or a pinch of Parmesan.
Pesto with walnuts, basil and lemon juice
Pesto sauce can have very interesting variations. It’s difficult to say how its inventors and lovers of culinary traditions feel about this, but I am in favor of the fact that the dish can be modified to suit your taste. You can also make a delicious sauce from walnuts, although its taste will differ from the version with pine nuts. If you love walnuts or have them on hand, feel free to make pesto sauce with walnuts. It will be delicious!
You will need:
- fresh basil - 50 grams;
- walnuts - 50 grams;
- olive oil - 6 tablespoons;
- garlic - 3 cloves;
- Parmesan cheese - 50 grams;
- lemon juice - 1 teaspoon;
- salt and pepper to taste.
Preparation:
1. Take fresh Parmesan and grate it very finely. You can use a special one for Parmesan.
2. Place fresh basil leaves in a blender jar or bowl (if you have an immersion blender). It can be either green or purple, depending on your taste. You can make a mixture of different varieties of basil, then you will get a beautiful dark green sauce. Do not use stems for sauce.
3. Peel and lightly fry the walnut kernels until crispy. Add to blender.
4. Add peeled garlic cloves. Grind all products to a thick, grainy mass. To make the process easier, you can add olive oil during the chopping process.
5. Add butter to the sauce and bring it to the desired consistency. Squeeze fresh lemon juice and add to the sauce, stir and taste. Add salt and pepper to taste.
The original pesto sauce with walnuts is ready. It's time to prepare the main dish or make crispy toast.
Parsley and walnut pesto sauce
A tasty, homemade and very budget-friendly version of the sauce. Anyone who has green beds with fresh parsley at their dacha has practically won the lottery. After all, such a delicious sauce requires the freshest herbs. The parsley sauce turns out to be very aromatic and healthy, but it is a slightly darker shade of green, which is easy to explain; basil is still brighter. To make it delicious, add garlic and Parmesan.
You will need:
- fresh parsley - 1 bunch;
- garlic - 1-2 cloves;
- walnuts - 100 grams;
- parmesan - 50-100 grams;
- olive oil - 5 tablespoons;
- salt and black pepper to taste.
Preparation:
1. First, fry the walnuts in a dry frying pan. Wait until they begin to crackle when fried and have a crunchy taste. Don't forget to stir them often.
2. Place clean and dry parsley in a blender. It is best to use only leaves, without hard stems.
3. Cut the Parmesan cheese into small cubes to make it easier to chop it with a blender.
4. Peel the garlic and cut in half.
- You may be interested in: Salad dressing. 20 recipes for how to cook deliciously at home
5. Place everything in a blender bowl or in a bowl if the blender is submersible. Pour in oil, add salt, pepper and grind until you get a thick paste. If it is too thick and does not grind well, add oil.
Classic Italian Pesto sauce - a simple recipe
The modern version of Pesto sauce is prepared from a fairly simple set of ingredients. As a result, we will get a very aromatic and fresh sauce from basil leaves, olive oil and pine nuts. Sea salt and pepper are added for taste. This is a basic recipe, which some chefs are beginning to modify by replacing herbs and nuts, as well as adding other products.
You will need:
- fresh basil leaves - 100 grams;
- pine nuts - 100 grams;
- parmesan - 100 grams;
- olive oil - 50-100 ml;
- garlic - 2-3 cloves;
- salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.
Preparation:
1. Grind the garlic and pine nuts using an immersion or bowl blender. It is necessary to achieve fine crumbs.
2. Wash and dry fresh basil. There is no need for extra water in the sauce. Separate the leaves from the stems and place the leaves in a blender with the nuts and sauce.
3. Grate the Parmesan cheese. You can use small or large ones, since the cheese will be crushed again in a blender. It's best to take the Parmesan in pieces and grate it yourself. But if it doesn’t work out at all, take dry, which is sold in stores. But remember, sometimes it is not made entirely from natural cheese, read the composition.
4. Pour 50 ml of olive oil into the blender. This part will be for primary grinding, and we will need the remaining 50 ml in order to bring the pesto sauce to the desired consistency.
5. Grind all the ingredients of the sauce in a blender until mushy. The nuts should turn out to be a little crumbly, and the basil leaves should be small pieces. If desired, you can grind it to your favorite texture, a little coarser if you like pieces of nuts, or smaller if you want a smooth and very delicate sauce.
6. Transfer the finished sauce into a gravy boat or small cup. You can immediately add it to your dishes. The sauce also keeps well in the refrigerator and can be prepared in advance.
Bon appetit!
