What Is Pesto? How Do You Make It?

What Is Pesto?

Pesto is an Italian sauce from the Genoa region derived from fresh basil leaves, pine nuts, Parmesan cheese, olive oil, salt & pepper.

Pesto traditionally was used as a flavouring agent for soup but now is best known for use in pasta, sandwiches and wraps. You can use it on pizza, as a marinade for chicken or to add some colour to your scrambled eggs. Green eggs and ham anyone? Combined with yogurt it makes a creamy dip for artichokes (this recipe is cost effective using walnuts in the place of pine nuts).

Pesto was originally made using a mortar and pestle , a technique that was used to maximize the flavour of the basil leaves, but nowadays it is usually made in the food processor.

If you're looking for a traditional pesto recipe, then you'll find a great one at 101Cookbooks called How To Make Pesto Like An Italian Grandmother.

For a fun twist on the original, try Rachael Ray's Asparagus and Pistachio Pesto.


Photo used under Creative Commons from bloggyboulga

What is Aioli? How Do You Make It?

Aioli is a classic French sauce typically made with extra virgin olive oil, egg yolks, garlic, salt and pepper. Aioli is often used to add flavour to sandwiches and wraps or as a dipping sauce for yam fries, veggies, fish or artichokes.

In culinary terms, aioli is an emulsion which is a mixture of two or more ingredients that normally don't coexist. Oil and vinegar or oil and lemon juice are examples of emulsions. In the case of aioli, it is the egg yolk and olive oil that wouldn't normally coexist. But, unlike the previous examples, aioli is a permanent emulsion - it won't separate after time whereas you will always have to shake your salad dressings before each use.

For a relatively quick (it does require a little prep time) and no fuss version using ready made mayonnaise and roasted garlic, check out my Cheater's Aioli recipe.


If you are looking to make your aioli from scratch, then a great article is 'How To Make Mayonnaise, Aioli and Their Derivatives'. Not only will you find out how to make aioli and mayonnaise from scratch, there are also some recipes for salad dressings such as Thousand Island, Blue Cheese, and Ranch Dressing.


Of course, you can also never go wrong with a Jamie Oliver Aioli Recipe.



Photo used under Creative Commons from jules:stonesoup