Italian pesto sauce is added to fish, meat, pasta and vegetables. The excellent nutty-cheese taste will turn any dish into a culinary masterpiece. Don't rush to the store for a can of pesto, as you can make it yourself in minutes. We tell recipes!
1. Classic pesto sauce
The Italians grind the components of classic pesto with pestles in heavy marble mortars for a long time and with soul. You, too, can follow their example, or you can simply grind everything in a blender. Zipper ... and a portion of the delicious sauce is ready!
You will need: 1 large bunch of green basil, 4 cloves of garlic, 45 g of pine nuts and the same amount of Parmesan cheese, 130 ml of aromatic olive oil and salt to taste.
Preparation: Fry the nuts until light brown in a dry frying pan, you can bake in the oven. Pour the pine nuts into a bowl, add the grated parmesan, chopped basil, and chopped garlic there. Stir the contents of the bowl and pour into a blender container. Pour in vegetable oil, salt to taste and beat until a sauce.
2. Pesto with cilantro
Experiments in cooking are very rewarding. Try making pesto by replacing basil with cilantro and pine nuts with pumpkin seeds.
You will need: 1 bunch of cilantro greens without stems, 2 cloves of garlic, 50 g of peeled pumpkin seeds, 135 ml of virgin olive oil, a pinch of ground chili, 1 - 1.5 tsp. sea salt.
Preparation: Lightly fry the seeds in a dry frying pan; from raw, the taste of the sauce will not be the most pleasant. Put the cooled pumpkin seeds, cilantro leaves, small pieces of garlic, chili and salt in a blender bowl. Whisk with a blender gradually add olive oil.
3. Pesto sauce "Sunflower"
Incredibly delicious pesto sauce is made from sunflower seeds with aromatic sunflower oil.
You will need: 5 tbsp. l. seeds (peeled), 2 tsp. unrefined sunflower oil, 1 clove of garlic, 60 g of gouda cheese, 1 small bunch of purple basil, 110 ml of olive oil, salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
Preparation: First, prepare the seeds, they should be salted and fried until golden brown. Beat the cooled sunflower seeds, basil herbs, grated cheese and garlic, spices with a blender. Add vegetable oils gradually.
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4. Pesto "Sandwich"
Bean pesto sandwiches are a delicious and healthy breakfast or snack during your office day!
You will need: 300 g boiled white beans, 120 g fresh basil leaves, 50 ml olive oil, 0.5 heads of garlic, 2 tsp. balsamic vinegar, 1.5 tsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice, salt and black pepper.
Preparation: Drain the water from the cooled boiled beans, load into the blender bowl, add the rest of the ingredients. Stir and beat until smooth. Taste the mass, add more salt if necessary. If the sauce is thick, then pour in a couple of tablespoons of bean broth and beat again with a blender.
5. Wild garlic pesto sauce
Juicy young sprouts of wild garlic can be used instead of basil. The pesto sauce will only benefit from this!
You will need: 600 g wild garlic sprouts, a handful of walnuts, 5 tbsp. l. grated parmesan, 0.5 cups extra virgin olive oil, salt to taste.
Preparation: Wash the ramsons and spread them out on clean towels so that the sprouts are completely dry. Lightly fry the nuts in a pan and chop finely with a knife. Pass the ramsons and nuts through a meat grinder with the finest grid twice. Mix with cheese, salt and pepper, and olive oil. Beat the resulting mixture in a blender, transfer to a clean glass jar, pour 3 tbsp. l. vegetable oil. Cover and refrigerate for up to 3 weeks.
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6.Pesto "Red Dragon"
You can adjust the pungency in Red Dragon Pesto to your liking!
You will need: 2 large red bell peppers, 70 g toasted sunflower seeds, chili to taste, 1 tsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice, a sprig of fresh rosemary, 1 tsp. sweet paprika, 1.5 tsp. corn oil and salt.
Preparation: Wash the bell pepper pods and wipe dry. Spread on a baking sheet, bake in the oven for 30 - 40 minutes until tender. Then quickly transfer the hot peppers to a plastic bag, tie and let sit for 10 to 15 minutes. Then remove the skin and remove the seed pods. Load the red pulp into a bowl for beating, send the rest of the ingredients from the recipe to the same place and beat at high speed until a homogeneous pasty mass.
7. "Mushroom" pesto sauce
Pesto with champignons is extremely rare on store shelves, and not everyone can afford its price. But at home you can make this wonderful Italian sauce in minutes and at low cost!
You will need: 300 g of champignons, 1 medium onion, 0.5 heads of garlic, 5 green onions, 0.5 pods of hot peppers, 100 g of roasted walnuts, 50 g of sun-dried tomatoes, 10 sprigs of parsley, 50 ml of olive oil, a little grated Parmesan and salt.
Preparation: Finely chop the onion, garlic, green onion feathers and fry in the specified order for 2 to 3 minutes per 1 tbsp. l. olive oil. Then add finely chopped mushrooms and tomatoes. Continue cooking over low heat, stirring constantly, for 5 to 8 minutes. Grind the nuts into crumbs with a blender, add parsley and fry from a pan, season with chili, pour in the remaining oil. Beat at medium speed for about a minute or two.
8. Broccoli pesto
This version of pesto sauce was created by food lovers. Broccoli plays the main violin in it, and cottage cheese instead of parmesan will save a lot.
You will need: 200 g fresh broccoli, 50 g toasted walnuts, 50 g cottage cheese, 1 clove of garlic and a little salt for taste.
Preparation: Dip broccoli in salted boiling water, boil for 6 minutes after boiling again. Cool, and then load into a bowl for beating, add nuts, garlic, cottage cheese and salt there. Beat until smooth and smooth.
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9. Cashew pesto
Prepare three servings of this delicious sauce at once using green, red and orange bell peppers!
You will need: 4 bell peppers, a handful of cashew nuts, 100 g of any hard cheese and 3 tbsp. l. olive oil, salt.
Preparation: Bake peppers in the oven and remove seeds and skins. Meanwhile, put the cashews in the microwave for 3 minutes. A tasty aroma should appear, and the nuts themselves should be slightly brown. Using a blender, grind all the ingredients in one container. For flavor, you can add a little of your favorite spices.
10. Arugula and spinach pesto
This sauce will be a great addition to pasta, boiled potatoes or fish!
You will need: 150 g of spinach and arugula salad, 2 - 3 cloves of garlic, 250 g of toasted walnuts, 200 ml of vegetable oil, 150 g of grated hard cheese, spices.
Preparation: One hour before preparing the sauce, thoroughly wash the spinach and arugula leaves under running water, shake off the water and spread them in a thin layer on paper towels. Let it dry completely. Then tear each leaf into 3 - 5 pieces with your hands and put it in a blender bowl, beat for a couple of minutes. Add nuts and turn on the device again for 1 - 2 minutes. Now transfer the rest of the ingredients to the greens with nuts and beat again until smooth.