Italian · sauce/condiment

Pesto alla Genovese

Name: Pesto alla Genovese
Prep time: 10 min
Total time: 15 min
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 2 cups fresh Genoese basil, packed; 3 tbsp pine nuts; 2 cloves garlic; 1 oz Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated; 1 oz Pecorino Sardo, grated; 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil; 1/4 tsp coarse sea salt

Pesto alla Genovese reads umami 6.0, salinity 5.7 and herbaceous 5.5 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Italian sauce/condiment, about 15 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

Umami & Savory — 6.9 / 10
Sweet & Fruity — 2.2 / 10
Sour & Bright — 2.0 / 10
Bitter & Earthy — 2.0 / 10
Rich & Fat — 6.2 / 10
Aromatic & Spice — 6.1 / 10

The measured notes (of 18)

Umami 6.0 · Salinity 5.7 · Herbaceous 5.5 · Richness 4.9 · Nutty 4.4 · Allium 3.7 · Funk & Ferment 2.9 · Floral 2.5 · Citrus 1.8 · Bitterness 1.7 · Sweetness 1.7 · Fruity 1.7 · Earthy 1.6 · Warm Spice 1.3 · Sourness 0.7

What's in it (7)

2 cups fresh Genoese basil, packed
3 tbsp pine nuts
2 cloves garlic
1 oz Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated
1 oz Pecorino Sardo, grated
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 tsp coarse sea salt

Time & effort: about 15 min (10 min active) · effort: easy

Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 169.7 kcal, 7.5 g protein, 14.5 g fat, 4.4 g carbs

Dietary: Vegetarian · Contains dairy · Contains egg — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.

How it's cooked (3 steps)

Pound garlic with coarse salt in a mortar, add pine nuts and pound to a paste, then gradually work in basil leaves a handful at a time.
Incorporate the two cheeses and finally loosen with olive oil to a thick, vibrant green sauce.
Toss with pasta (traditionally trofie or trenette) and a little pasta water.

Dishes with a similar flavor shape

Pesto Genovese with Trofie — Italian
Creamy Pesto Chicken Pasta — Italian-American
Margherita Flatbread Pizza — Italian
Pansoti con Salsa di Noci — Italian · Liguria
Ocopa Arequipena — Peruvian

Keep reading: what umami, salinity, herbaceous mean in the flavor lexicon · the world's cuisines, by flavor.

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Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.