Pesto Genovese

Pesto alla Genovese Pasta

We drove from the South of France along the Ligurian coast to end up in Milan. We were on a search for the best pesto in the world and wanted to get to Genoa. The city has a little grit, a little grandeur. If you’re lucky, there’s a table waiting for your crew at Il Genovese.

Il Genoevese was opened by Roberto Panizza in 2010 to revive the trattoria tradition dating back to 1922. Pesto is often made tableside in a marble mortar with Ligurian basil, the kind that smells like the sea and sunshine. Eating here isn’t just about a bowl of trofie; it’s about tasting centuries of Genoese history, one synonymous with basil, pine nuts, cheese, garlic, and oil.

We get there after this long drive and it turns out they’re closed. Siesta. Chairs up on tables. Someone kindly came out to let us know they weren’t taking guests. When we told them we’d traveled all the way from the Bronx, they let us in and fed us like family. Pesto Genovese, bacalà manticato, and carafes of wine on the table. One of my top five pasta moments.

In Genoa, they’ll tell you that the secret to their world-renowned pesto is the basil, grown in the salty air of the Ligurian coast. But it’s also the potato and the green bean. The potato softens and breaks down into the sauce to give it body. The green beans snap through the richness.

THE PESTO

2 cups fresh basil leaves
1 cup fresh parsley leaves
1 cup mint leaves
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
⅓ cup pistachios (or pine nuts)
2 garlic cloves, peeled
½ cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
¼ cup grated Pecorino Sardo
Pinch of coarse sea salt

CHOP IT UP

In food processor, add the basil, parsley, and mint. Pulse or crush just enough to break them down until you have a paste. You can also use a mortar & pestle if you want the authentic Il Genovese experience.

Add pistachios and garlic; pulse again until roughly combined.

Slowly stream in the olive oil while pulsing, until the mixture emulsifies into a loose paste.

Taste and adjust. It should be salty-sweet from the cheese, a little peppery from the basil.

THE PASTA

12 oz trofie pasta (fusilli or casarecce work as a sub)
1 medium waxy potato, peeled and cut into ½-inch cubes
4 oz green beans, trimmed and cut into 2-inch lengths
¾ cup pesto
Salt for pasta water
Extra Parmigiano for serving
OLIVE OIL. Lots of it

CHOP IT UP

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

Add potato cubes and cook for 5 minutes. Add green beans and cook for another 2 minutes.

Add pasta to the same pot and cook until al dente (trofie usually takes ~8 minutes).

Reserve ½ cup pasta water, then drain everything together.

Return to the pot, add pesto, and toss gently, loosening with reserved pasta water until sauce coats everything.

Serve with extra Parmigiano and olive oil. If you’re doing it right, a chilled Ligurian white wine and fresh bread.