Like all big cities, Genoa is not lacking in symbols: the Lanterna, the focaccia, the International Boat Show – which opened yesterday and will close on 21 September – and the pesto. It is true that it is widespread throughout Liguria but for the recipe of the ‘traditional’ one (defended by the Order of the Knights of the Confraternity of Pesto) Basilico di Prà which has a PDO since 2005.
Prà is precisely a district of Genoa, in the first Ponente between Pegli and Voltri: squeezed between the sea and the mountains, it is known precisely for the greenhouse that draw the profile of these terraces and keep inside a soft and fragrant green expanse.
They are all air conditioned to maintain a constant temperature and humidity, essential conditions for the seedlings to grow well and give the leaves, hand-picked and processed within 24 hours with the other ingredients. Possibly in the dear old mortar: it is no coincidence that ‘pesto’ recalls the preparation method, “pounding” everything.
Pesto sauce is today the second most used sauce in the world to dress pasta (the first is that with tomato), but its spread internationally, accelerated in the last 20 years, is due to the very varied use made of it in the kitchen.
The origin of Pesto goes back a long way and probably derives from a chopped garlic, used in the Roman Empire to season meat and fish and flavored with some basil leaves. In the nineteenth century it was enriched with the noblest part: the first written recipe of Pesto Genovese – we don’t say ‘alla Genovese’ – appears in the 1863 «Cuciniera Genovese», written by Giobatta Ratto. Having said that, as happens for every Italian recipe, there are infinite variations, the integralist one includes seven ingredients: the Basil of Prà, pine nuts, garlic (the Ligurians enhance that of Vessalico), extra virgin olive oil from the Ligurian Riviera, aged Parmigiano Reggiano, Sardinian Pecorino, sea salt. big. By now, almost everyone prepares the recipe using the blender: it is not a crime, but a good palate feels the difference compared to when using the mortar.
Pesto immediately makes you want pasta. In fact, it is also a great sauce to accompany steamed or boiled white fish, to be used in fresh vegetable soups and goes well on a caprese with mozzarella. Easy to find now as a topping for gourmet pizzas. Having said that, it is evident that it is enjoyed when it is served with trofie, trenette, potato gnocchi. The pasta can be long or short, but rather thick, in order to compensate for the aromaticity of the pesto. Then it is clear that in a lasagna or over ravioli it can be enjoyed anyway but it has a different meaning. In spring it is possible (but not mandatory) to enjoy it together with chopped green beans and potatoes, which further enrich the dish. Now our selection of places in Genoa to (re) discover the pleasure of pesto, often in the utmost simplicity and with a good glass of wine.
In the gallery above the best restaurants for the best pesto
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