When it comes to pasta with pesto the mind flies to Genoa. To its narrow streets, to the authentic restaurants that overlook it and to the good smell of basil that fills the air. But in summer, pesto can also mean the fastest way to make a cold first course, but at the same time tasty, balanced and complete.
The cold pasta with pesto is indeed tasty and delicate and lends itself to the most diverse combinations. We will be able to play with vegetables, cherry tomatoes, olives, tuna, prawns and cheeses, to create our perfect recipe. But before thinking about pairings, some rules for a rule of art pesto.

The ingredients of traditional pesto

To prepare the pesto following the traditional recipe serve seven ingredients. To flavor 500 grams of pasta: 50 grams of Genoese Basil DOP, 45 grams of Parmigiano Reggiano PDO aged at least 24 months, 15 grams of Sardinian Pecorino aged ten months, five tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, two cloves of sweet garlic, two tablespoons of Pine nuts and a handful of coarse salt.

The instruments

After the ingredients, you have to think about tools: a marble mortarit's a wooden pestle. For those without it, you can also use the blender but the result will not be the same. However, one of the fundamental rules is to proceed fairly quickly: over time the basil oxidizes and becomes bitter.

Where to start

We start by pounding garlic with a few grains of salt, then the pine nuts are added. Continue to pound until the three ingredients are completely blended. At this point, add the basil leaves a little at a time, after having washed and gently dried them. crushing them with the pestle against the walls with a rotary movement to the left and turning the mortar in the other direction. Finally add the Parmesan and pecorino, mix and finally add the oil evenly.

The recipes of cold pasta with pesto