Pesto sauce: what it is, the benefits and harms of dressing
Pesto sauce – refined and delicate, healthy and high-calorie, with hints of nuts and basil, it has a unique Italian charm. Gourmets from all over the world have come to love him. But I haven’t liked it yet. Why? It’s a culinary mistake. But first things first.
What is it: description
Classic green pesto ( Genovese à la Olivia ) is a sauce originally from Genoa, a settlement located in the Liguria region of northern Italy. For this reason, professional chefs often call it Genoese or Ligurian.
It consists of minced garlic, basil (which gives the mass its characteristic green hue), pine nuts (a relative of pine nuts), hard Parmesan cheese ( Parmigiano Reggiano ), farm sheep’s cheese ( Pecorino or Fiore Sardo ) and olive oil. Sardinian sheep’s milk cheese is what separates real pesto from the sauce you can find in stores. But it is this ingredient that is often omitted in industrial recipes.
How does Parmesan taste like .
Despite the dubious appearance (bright green, slightly oily, creamy paste with heterogeneous inclusions), this traditional Italian seasoning has a well-recognizable harmonious taste: fresh, herbal, garlic, with nutty and cheesy notes.
The Italian sauce owes its unusual consistency and deep gustatory palette to the cooking method: all raw ingredients are ground in a circular motion in a special marble mortar ( murta ) with a wooden pestle ( pestelludi ).
Hence the name of pesto: from the Italian pestâ , pestare , which translates as “grind”, “crush”. This method of grinding the components allows you to release more aromatic oils from the basil fibers. When chopping fresh herbs with a knife or blender, you cannot achieve the same aroma.
Composition and calorie content
Energy value and BJU pesto largely depend on the recipe. Therefore, the figures below are only approximate and may vary depending on the manufacturer and the set of ingredients.
Average calorie content of a dish: 450-500 kcal per 100 g.
BZHU (based on 100 g):
proteins – 5 g;
fats – 12.7 g;
carbohydrates – 46.9 g.
