You do pesto wrong – do this for a creamier, greener sauce

After July fourth, when I had my filling of fried Hot dogs and flamed CitizensI contact what I consider for the real splendor of summer: pesto season. I am building a whole bed of basil, including genovese, lemon, Thai and even less well -known varieties such as purple ruffles, just to keep up with my habit. Pesto drives almost everything in my kitchen in the pointed summer and does everything here and there with nothing more than a shot or drizzle: grilled vegetables, charred chicken legs, pasta, pizza, sandwiches and scrambled eggs. And although I love how quickly I can flash a batch in a kitchen machine, I have learned that the most silky, spicy and saucial pesto is reached with a mortar and pestle easier.

It is not only that I am precious in terms of tradition. It is the best technique on which serious culinary director Daniel Gritzer ended up for his test rounds for his Pesto Alla Genovese recipe.

What exactly is pesto?

In its core, Pesto is a raw, emulsified sauce, which is crushed into a smooth, spoonful paste by crushed fresh basil, pine kernels, cheese and olive oil. The most famous version, Pesto Alla Genovese, comes from the Ligurian city of Genoa in Italy. It is intensely aromatic, deep vegetable and lively green. A great pesto should be smooth and creamy, no oil pool with hack basil that is hung in it. It should taste completely integrated, not like individual ingredients that are thrown together. And it should hold on to pasta like a real sauce and not fall into stains.

The name Pesto itself comes from the Italian verbpest, which means crushing or crushing what exactly is what a mortar and a pestle should do. Even the word pestle shares the same root. A food processor, on the other hand, chops and mines that fundamentally changes both texture and taste.

A breakdown of the test results

To see how much the tool is important, Daniel tested both methods side by side using the same ingredients, the same conditions and the same process. Daniel observed striking differences that go far beyond aesthetics. The methods influence texture, taste and how well the sauce actually works with food. Here is what Daniel found:

Cremal texture: The pesto produced in mortar and pestle had an emulsified quality with a thickened, coherent texture more like a thin mayonnaise or creamy dressing and not at all like a broken sauce. Every noodle bathed when it was thrown with noodles and was much smoother, not pebble. In contrast, the kitchen machine had fine, gravel parts that stuck like glitter instead of flowing like sauce.

Deeper taste: The squeezing with a pestle releases essential oils made of basil, garlic and pine core who fight the blades of a food processor to imitate. The flavors mix in such a way that it fully integrates and feels coherent.

Better color storage: If you are slowly working in olive oil by hand with the mortar and stark method, avoid the colored heat and micro systems that are inserted from the swirling sounds of a food processor. The stack of mortar had a fresh, pea -green color, while the food processor was a bit boring.

The Pesto food processor tasted good and came together in less than a minute. But the version heard with a marmorming and a wooden plague was in a different league: smooth in the texture, lively taste and completely emulsified, with a luxurious quality that the processor version simply could not keep up.

Which mortar and which stark should you use?

At home I use a Molcajete, a traditional Mexican mortar that was carved out of volcanic stone and which my husband’s father gave after a visit to the family in Oaxaca. It is heavier and rougher in the texture when the smooth marble met Daniel recommends, but it still makes the job beautiful. The coarse surface helps to grab and reduce basil leaves, garlic and pine nuts with satisfactory efficiency.

That means you don’t need a family height to make an excellent pesto. Daniel tested a number of mortars, from Thai granite to smooth ceramics to the classic Ligurian marble style. His top election for pesto is the traditional marble harvest, paired with a rounded wooden pestle: smooth enough to tear down delicate basil leaves, but strong enough to grind ingredients into a creamy emulsion. Simply make sure that you are wide enough to keep the ingredients comfortably and stable enough so as not to wiggle when grinding.

A Big mortar and pestle Doesn’t have to be expensive and it won’t be idle. I use mine for everything, from Garlicky Aioli to fresh curry paste, Romeesco, guacamole, muhamara and even spices. It is functional, versatile and probably the most beautiful device on my kitchen counter.

The simple steps to take pesto with mortar and pestle

Making pesto by hand takes more effort than throwing everything into a kitchen machine, but it is a method that is rewarded with much better results. Here you can find out how to do it:

1. Start with garlic and pine core. Beat them into a rough paste with a mortar and pestle. This forms the aromatic basis of the sauce.

2. Gradually add basil. Work in small handful and together with a rough salt at the same time. The salt acts as a natural abrasive and helps to dismantle the leaves. Use both a circular grinding movement and a gentle bashing to reduce the basil into a lively green paste.

3. Let the moisture of the basil help. Don’t worry about drying your leaves completely. Small amounts of water that sticks to the washed basil can actually help build the emulsion.

4. Integrate the cheese. Stir incorporated mere cheese like Parmigiano Reggiano (or Pecorino, if you prefer) until you are completely combined.

5. End with olive oil. Add it a little and work with the pestle to maintain a creamy, coherent texture.

It is not a five-second turn in the mini-prep, but the result is a real sauce, not a chunky load. The pesto adheres to pasta like silk and seeps into grilled vegetables.

Why it is worth the work

If you are in a hurry, definitely use the food processor. But if you swim in basil, have 10 additional minutes, take the slower road with mortar and pestle. In the end, you have a basil sauce that is smoother, rich and more alive in every respect. Your pasta (and your summer) will thank you.