the art of pesto

As the title of this blog promises there will be some food coming up.

This time I want to talk about Pesto. Arguably one of the most important things that Roman civilisation gave us. Its origins are unclear but it is ancient. And more importantly it is delicious!
It can be used on pasta or in a sendwitch. Also many gourmans enjoy it simply on a piece of bread. You can buy pesto in a jar, but to really do things right and to have the right taste and freshness u have to make your own. As we shall see it is not that hard.
So what do we need:

-2 cups tightly packed fresh basil leaves

-1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

-3 tablespoons pine nuts

-2 garlic cloves, peeled

-pinch of salt

-1/2 cup freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano

-2 tablespoons freshly grated Romano cheese

-3 tablespoons butter at room temperature

Lets talk about those ingredients in more detail as they are all very exciting!

Basil: In my opinion a great way is to grow your own in a pot in your home. A positive externality is the pleasant characteristic scent. If u want to see where they do things right visit
http://parco-basilico.provincia.genova.it/

Olive oil: A very important ingredient. U cannot go very wrong here. As long as u stick to Italian, Spanish or Greek produce.

Pine nuts: This might be a little harder to acquire. I suggest a place that sells italian food in general. U can also visit a forest :-)
No need to talk about garlic and salt....

Parmigiano cheese: This is a very important ingredient in terms of quality. To get the best possible visit http://www.parmigiano-reggiano.it/This is actualy all u need. The rest is just to make it better. Preparation is insanely simple:-)

Put basil, olive oil, pine nuts, garlic, and an ample pinch of salt in the mortar and process with wooden pestle until creamy. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the grated cheeses. Than mix in the butter.

Bon Apetit!