Pesto

E

Englishman

Expat In Italy
Aug 14, 2009
17
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Mainly at work
Pesto

I was just wondering how many different types of Pesto there actually are?

I usually have the tradtional basil pesto which is green but i have some other red coloured pesto.
 
Re: Pesto

I know that there is a red pesto available that is made from red peppers, but the name 'pesto' refers to a spread made of only basil, pignolis and olive oil.
 
Oh my gosh, I LOVE pesto!

I had no idea there were more than one type though.
I usually buy a small jar, when I buy some. The smallest. I love it but it's not like I eat it everyday and I really hate wasting food.

The first time I found out about pesto I used to eat it on bread, but I doubt eating a lot of it is very healthy.
 
I love pesto too, It's such a quick and simple dish to make. I admit, I usually buy fresh pesto already made and cook some pasta and then mix the pesto with it. It only takes 10 minutes to make and an ideal dish for people like me who are too lazy or don't have the time to prepare something else.

I usually have the green Genovese pesto but every now and again I'll have Pesto all Calabrese which is red and made from peppers and ricotta cheese.
 
There's a red pesto marketed in the UK - definitely made from red peppers plus ...
but the fresh, basil pesto in Italy has to be the best. Having said that its straightforward to make it from scratch wherever you are in the world
 
I watch quite a lot of cooking programmes and often seen the chefs doing their own version of pesto. The main changes are changing the herb or changing the nut, so I would imagine that there are as many versions as your imagination can see. Admittedly though, it probably wouldn't fit the true definition of a pesto.
 
I love pesto - here in the UK, you can only really get green (Genovese) and red pesto. Red is my favourite because I love the salty, spicy flavour it has. It goes great with chicken dishes as well - a few months ago I fried up some chicken breast strips in olive oil and red pesto until they were slightly blackened then served the in a salad with some bread. It was absolutely delicious!

I really should try and make my own pesto some day, it's supposedly quite easy.
 
I absolutely LOVE pesto. The first time I ever had it was on linguine and I couldn't stop eating it. The best is adding grilled chicken to the dish. I could probably live off of that dish for a few months before I'd grow to be sick of it and want something different. Either way, any time I have the chance I tell people to eat it I do whether they've tried it or not. :)
 
I love pesto and it is really easy to make. I grow my own basil, which makes it inexpensive too. I just put everything in the blender. Add olive oil slowly until its the right consistency and its ready to go. We had an exchange student from Italy and he made everything fresh. It was great to learn from him.
 
My mother-in-law makes our pesto and it is fantastic when it is freshly made! I have had the red pepper pesto as well as the tradition basil, garlic and pine nuts. I use it when cooking any type of white fish, baked chicken and with pasta.

I have heard it originated in Genoa, Liguria and the word comes from the Genoese word pesta, which means to pound or crush.
 
I've just starting cooking with pesto again, and I forgot how much I love it! I used it to fill the inside of chicken in a recipe I tried out yesterday, and in the past I have used it as a sauce for gnocchi. I just love the smell of pesto, thinking about it makes me mouth water!
 
Heather said:
Re: Pesto

I know that there is a red pesto available that is made from red peppers, but the name 'pesto' refers to a spread made of only basil, pignolis and olive oil.
Click to expand...

I agree with you. I think the green pesto is the more original one and the other one has just been developed as a variety. I rarely see the red one as well and honestly, I think that one is not from Italy. It may be a Middle Eastern thing.
 
I don't think I ever saw red pesto before. Or maybe I've seen it and thought it was tomato sauce or something, they usually put them side by side in supermarkets anyway.

I haven't had any in a while though, I'm the only one eating it, but next time relatives come to visit I'll make sure to buy some :D
 
I believe there are two versions of the red pesto. One is from Calabria and the other from Sicily.

I actually had the Calabrian pesto for lunch. Here is what the bottle looks like. It is a little spicy as made from peppers but not exaggerated.


image.webp
 
I am not a fan of the traditional green pesto. I do, however, enjoy red pesto. Sacla make a fiery chilli pesto, that I buy in bulk from Amazon, because I eat so much of it!
 
I love pesto and I use it on different stuffs, sometimes on bread and even pizza. I am always curious to try out different stuffs and eating pesto just like that is to also very delicious. I usually eat the red ones as they are quite mouth watering, and they are definitely made from red peppers. I have never tried out any other kind of pesto and soon would try to get my hands on some of the other ones.
 
I've only seen the green pesto. They contain basil leaves, which gives them their unique taste. I haven't seen or tasted the red ones, but if they are made from red peppers I would probably love them too. I tend to like interesting sauces, as long as they don't taste too strange.
 
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