Insider had the honor of meeting the King of Pesto, Roberto Panizza. And they made Pesto together in his lab in Genova. See for yourself why this fresh Pesto is famous all over the world: fresh, incredible ingredients and Roberto’s signature recipe.
Roberto gave away *most* of his secrets for his dreamy Pesto sauce, starting with basil, of course.
There are 320 varieties of basil in the world. Only 60 are edible, and only one is the right one to make pesto.
Basil is an essential part of Pesto genovese, but ingredient number 1 is extra virgin olive oil. And not any oil.
It’s Taggiasca olive oil. Sweet. It has an aromaticity that doesn’t cover the flavor of the other ingredients. Because a lot of oil goes into pesto. So it has to be a delicate oil. Ligurian oil is perfect.
Roberto is a Pesto authority and he’s a very strict follower of Pesto rules. Which brings us to the most asked question: do we HAVE TO use mortar and pestle in order to make authentic Pesto sauce? Insider’s Claudia Romeo give us the answer.
Once we’ve got our basil, we’re at a crossroads: mix the seven ingredients with the more traditional, time-consuming pestle and mortar, or use a more common mixer. Both methods are possible and, most importantly, accepted by pesto experts like Roberto.
Take a look at the machine that Roberto and Claudia are using to make Pesto, that’s exactly the same machine that Roberto uses to make our fresh jarred Pesto every time that we order some to be shipped to the Bronx. Made to order with no preservatives.
Roberto, auguri for your video recipe on how to make your stunning Pesto genovese on Insider! We feel lucky to have your Pesto in the US, it’s a Gustiamo lunch classic.