Ina Garten-Inspired Pesto
Homemade pesto goes from bright green to army green in about an hour. That is not oxidation of the oil, and stirring in more oil will not stop it.
Cut basil releases polyphenol oxidase, the same enzyme that browns a sliced apple. Five seconds in boiling water denatures it, and an immediate ice bath stops the leaves cooking. The colour then holds for days.
It costs one pan of water and changes nothing about the taste.
Jump to the recipe ↓Ina Garten-Inspired Pesto
about 400 ml · Sauce
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 1 min
- Total
- 16 min
Moderatea technique that commonly fails
Ingredients
- 100 g basil leaves, picked
- 50 g pine nuts, toasted and cooled
- 2 garlic cloves
- 150 ml olive oil, mild rather than peppery
- 60 g Parmesan, finely grated
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- squeeze of lemon, optional
Method
- Blanch the basil in boiling water, then straight into ice water.5 seconds
- Squeeze the leaves dry and pat them on a towel — wet basil will not emulsify.
- Blitz the basil, pine nuts, garlic and salt to a coarse paste.
- Pour the oil in with the motor running, in a steady stream.
- Fold in the Parmesan by hand. Taste, and add lemon only if it seems flat.
Toast the pine nuts, then let them cool
Raw pine nuts taste of very little and are the reason a lot of pesto seems to be mostly oil. Four minutes in a dry pan, shaken constantly, until they smell like biscuits. Let them cool before blending — warm nuts turn the basil dull.
The cheese goes in by hand, at the end
A processor running long enough to grind cheese also heats the sauce and bruises the basil. Blend the greens, nuts, garlic and oil, then fold the Parmesan in with a spoon.
Why a mild olive oil
Peppery new-season oil turns bitter under a blade. The blades rupture the oil's polyphenols and the bitterness is mechanical, not a question of quality. Save the good grassy bottle for pouring over the finished plate.
Storing
A week in the fridge under a thin film of oil, which seals the surface from air. It freezes well in an ice cube tray; add the cheese after thawing if you want it at its best.
Questions people ask
Why did my pesto turn dark?
Cut basil browns enzymatically within the hour. Blanching for five seconds stops it.
Can I use walnuts instead of pine nuts?
Yes, and they are far cheaper. Toast them the same way. They give a slightly tannic edge that suits a robust dish better than a delicate one.
Is a pestle and mortar better than a processor?
It bruises rather than cuts, so it browns less and tastes rounder. It also takes twenty minutes. Blanching gets you most of the way with a machine.
Can I freeze it?
Yes, in cubes. Leave the Parmesan out until after thawing.
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