Food 

Pesto

Pesto You can hardly find those among gourmets and connoisseurs of Italian cuisine who have not tasted the Pesto sauce. Being a native of Liguria this sauce became famous far beyond the borders of the Mediterranean area and is rightfully part of the arsenal of majority of Italian cooks. Italian cuisine is known for the dishes that do not require much time for cooking and are made of the freshest and highest-quality products. Pesto is no exception. Its ingredients are basil leaves, olive oil, garlic, pine nuts and walnuts, salt and Parmigiano-Reggiano and/or Pecorino cheese. Liguria basil is well known for the harmony that its oiliness and mint flavor create. However, one can also use non-Ligurian varsion, just make sure only small leaves are to be considered. So, take half a dozen of basil leaves, add ? teaspoon of salt (sea salt is desirable) and pound them. Then, little by little start adding basil (all in all about 60 small leaves or 30 medium-sized ones) and in the middle of the process add 2 cleaned cloves of garlic. When the garlic is well pound 3 tablespoons of nuts are to follow (pine nuts give a softer taste and their proportion to walnuts is the matter of taste). And finally after adding nuts you have to add 2 tablespoons of grated cheese. Crown the dish with ? cup of olive oil (surely an extra vergine one). As the result of all the efforts you should get a bright green sauce, soft in consistency and unique in flavor.

For pasta use tagliatelle, bavette, linguini or just spaghetti if nothing else is available. You will need ? kg of paste for 6 persons. Mix 1 cup of your precious sauce pesto with 1/3 cup of water in which the paste was boiled, add the paste and enjoy your life!

NOTE: the menu of the osteria Pantagruel features tagliatelle al pesto and the pasta is obviously home-made (as well as the sauce).

Sergei Gusovsky

When using materials from the site www.pantagruel.com.ua place a link to osteria Pantagruel, Italian restaurant in Kiev, Ukraine.