There are plenty of pestos available on our supermarket shelves and in specialist stores, with many variations on the authentic recipe too. It appears we have an appetite for pesto sauces made from mint, peas, aubergine, chilli, sun-dried tomatoes, and the list goes on. For this issue of Italia! however, we have decided to revisit the most celebrated iteration, classic pesto alla genovese. From the verb pestare, meaning to pound, the method of combining the ingredients by hand releases those wonderfully pungent aromas. Hailing from Liguria and traditionally made from locally produced olive oil, fresh genovese basil, garlic, pine nuts and Parmesan, not every choice you see here has abided by this age-old recipe, reflected in their varying price points, but nonetheless we were happy to discover a very palatable range.
EDITOR ’S CHOICE