Great Italy, hiding many secrets.The country of winners, wise men and the best cooks. If the best pasta, pizza or lasagna, great seafood dishes and famous ravioli - all this was given to us by Italian cuisine. And people all over the world eat it with pleasure. And not just eat, but really enjoy it. But the secret of Italian cuisine is not only in the dishes themselves, but also in their sauces. There are a great many of them and all of them, of course, are worthy of attention and admiration. After all, it is the sauce that gives any dish a chic flavor and can turn a simple dish into a masterpiece of culinary art. As a rule, the people of Italy have never been rich, which is why all the famous dishes were created from simple ingredients that are always easily available. And it is quite easy to cook. For example, pasta carbonara is the food of simple miners - spaghetti with olive oil and ground black pepper. It would seem that there is nothing original in this simple dish? The trick is in the sauce, for example, such as the Italian Pesto sauce. Historians claim that the sauce comes from northern Italy. Translated from Italian, "pesto" means "pound", which is quite logical, since the basis of the sauce is crushed basil. Most often, the sauce is used to season dishes such as lasagna, pasta, etc. Italian Pesto is a sauce based on crushed basil (and it does not matter whether it is green basil or purple, which is common in our countries), olive oil and cheese. In general, Pesto sauce is characterized by a green color, thanks to green basil. However, it can be dark red, since sun-dried tomatoes are often added to the sauce. And, finally, dark purple or even blackish, if the sauce is made from purple basil. So it is possible to use any basil.
Ingredients for the sauce
We suggest you prepare a sauce recipePesto with an Eastern European twist. Its composition differs slightly from the original. For the base, use purple basil, which is quite available in our markets. According to the recipe, it is necessary to crush it in a marble mortar with a wooden pestle. However, if you crush the basil in a wooden mortar, the taste of the Pesto sauce will not change significantly. Do not forget that crushing basil in a mortar is not as easy as it seems, since basil leaves constantly stick to its walls. In order to do this, you will need a certain amount of skill. Now let's figure out olive oil. Of course, extra virgin olive oil is ideal for the original Pesto sauce recipe, but it can be replaced with regular olive oil, which is sold in a glass container in any hypermarket. Some recipes suggest using sunflower-olive oil. However, if olive oil is not available, it can be replaced with regular sunflower oil. Pine seeds are difficult to get, so we will replace them with walnuts or cashew nuts. In practice, different types of nuts give different flavors. Therefore, the most neutral for our perception is still walnut. You can use any garlic, as long as it has enough juice. This can be young garlic shoots or garlic that has been lying in the pantry for the winter - its main task is to give the sauce aroma and taste. According to Italian chefs, only Italian cheeses are suitable for Pesto sauce, such as Romano, Sardo, Toscano or Siciliano. Simply put, types of coarse-grained sheep cheese. However, they can be replaced with such a type of cheese as Grana Padano, or any other hard cheese. So, we have sorted out the analogues of domestic production. It's time to try making Pesto. We offer you some of the most delicious Pesto sauce recipes that will certainly not leave your guests and household indifferent.
Pesto"
The recipe is quite complex, so it is suitable for experienced cooks. For it you will need:
- basil (green or purple) - 3 bushes
- garlic (young or autumnal) - 2 denticles
- pine nuts (peeled) - 75 g
- olive oil - 100 ml
- hard cheese (sheep's cheese) - 100 g
- sea salt - 10 g.
Wash the basil well, pick off the leaves andDry them. It is better to take green basil, but purple will not spoil the taste. The stems are not used for the sauce. After you have dried the basil leaves, fold each leaf in half and chop with a knife as finely as possible. Put the chopped basil leaves in a mortar, add a pinch of salt and grind with a pestle until a uniform gruel is formed. If you are using a wooden mortar, it is very important not to forget that the wood from which the mortar is made gives the sauce its own flavor. For example, a juniper mortar will leave a slight hint of bitterness in the sauce, etc. Transfer the basil gruel to a ceramic bowl and immediately add a couple of tablespoons of olive oil so that the ground greens do not come into contact with air - this is important for the taste of the sauce. This must be done without fail. Peel the garlic, chop finely and also grind in a mortar with salt. Once the garlic is ready, add it to the basil pulp. Heat the pine nuts in a dry frying pan. Let them brown slightly and remove the pan from the heat. Grind half of the nuts in a mortar and fry the other half for a couple more minutes until golden brown. Mix the crushed nuts in a bowl with the basil and garlic. Grate the cheese on a fine grater. Then put it in a bowl too. Mix everything thoroughly, add a little more olive oil, then beat until the consistency of sour cream. Finally, pour the other half of the fried pine nuts into the sauce and mix. The pesto is ready.
Spinach sauce
It should be noted that Pesto can be prepared not only on the basis of basil - for example, Pesto sauce from spinach. To prepare this recipe you will need:
- spinach - 2 cups
- pine nuts (ground) - 2 tbsp.
- garlic - 2 cloves
- olive oil - 1/2 cup
- Parmesan cheese, grated, 1/2 cup
- salt - to taste.
Wash the spinach and separate the leaves from the stems,then dry the leaves. It is better to take young leaves, since old and coarse spinach leaves will have to be blanched. The leaves need to be folded in half and finely chopped, then put in a mortar, add a little salt and grind with a pestle. After you grind the spinach, put it in a ceramic or glass container and add a spoonful of olive oil. Peel the garlic, chop finely, put it in a mortar, add a little salt and grind with a pestle. Mix the finished garlic with spinach. Grate the cheese on a fine grater and add to the cheese with spinach, mix the ingredients. Fry the nuts until golden brown, grind in a mortar and add to all the ingredients. Season with olive oil, mix until smooth and let it brew.
Green olive sauce
This recipe is also very interesting and original. This salad includes:
- green olives (large, pitted) - 1.5 cups
- onion (red) - 1/2 pc.
- pine nuts - 1/4 cup
- garlic — 1 clove
- olive oil - 1/2 cup
In a blender, grind the green olives and redonion, put in a ceramic or glass dish. Peel the garlic and chop finely. Put in a mortar, add salt and grind, then add it to the olives and onion. Mix everything thoroughly and season with a tablespoon of olive oil. Fry the nuts until golden brown, grind in a mortar and add to all the ingredients. Season with the remaining olive oil, mix until smooth and serve immediately.
Cilantro sauce
And this recipe is very simple. It includes:
- cilantro - 1 large bunch
- garlic - 2 cloves
- pumpkin seeds - 2 tbsp.
- lime juice - 2 tbsp.
- salt - 1 tsp.
- ground black pepper - 1 tsp.
- olive oil - 5 tbsp.
Wash the cilantro and chop finely, thenCrush in a mortar and pestle until a paste forms. Place in a ceramic bowl and add a spoonful of olive oil. Peel and chop the garlic. Place in a mortar, add salt and grind, then add it to the cilantro paste. Mix everything thoroughly. Fry the pumpkin seeds until golden brown, grind in a mortar and add to all the ingredients. Season with the remaining olive oil, lime juice, add ground black pepper and mix until smooth. Let stand at room temperature for 1 hour before serving. In total, preparing the sauce will take no more than two hours.
Pesto of peanuts in Asian style
This recipe is good when there is very little time. To prepare it you will need:
- vegetable oil - 1 cup
- peanuts - 1/2 cup
- chili (small, finely chopped) - 2 pcs.
- ginger (fresh, chopped) - 1 tbsp.
- garlic - 4 cloves
- basil (fresh) - 1.5 cups
- mint (fresh) - 1/4 cup
- celery (leaves) - 1/4 cup
- lemon juice - 3 tbsp.
- salt - 1.5 tsp.
- sugar - 1 tsp.
Peanuts need to be roasted in a preheated oven.frying pan with vegetable oil. Stir until nuts turn brown. Transfer roasted peanuts to a paper napkin, dry and grind in a mortar. Finely chop basil, garlic, chili, mint, celery and grind in a mortar one by one adding salt. Put all ingredients in a ceramic bowl and mix. Add ginger and a little vegetable oil in which peanuts were fried. Season the sauce with salt, sugar and lemon juice and let it brew. As you can see, with pesto sauce you have a lot of scope for creativity. Feel the Italian spirit in your home! Cook with pleasure! We recommend reading:
