Pesto

Pesto or Pesto alla genovese, is an herb and oil sauce that originates from Genoa, Italy and is prominent in Italian cooking.

It is made with basil, garlic, salt, and olive oil. Generally, the sauce also includes grated hard cheese such as parmesan cheese or romano cheese and pine nuts, but many variations exist that substitute or add other ingredients such as sun-dried tomatoes, Cilantro, arugula, walnuts, cashews, black olives, lemon rind, spinach and mushrooms.

While pesto was traditionally made with a mortar and pestle, food processors and blenders make creating the sauce an easier undertaking. Fresh sauce can be stored in a jar or air-tight container for a week, but it can also be frozen for up to a month. The ingredients should never be cooked, but rather added to food at the last moment or served on the side, since cooking diminishes the flavor of the basil.

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