{"id":2529,"slug":"pesto-i","title":"Pesto I","description":"Pesto is a sauce that originates in the city of Genoa in the Liguria region of northern Italy (pesto alla genovese). It can be used as a sauce for pasta or meat, or can be used as an ingredient in a variety of dishes. One classic use is to spread the pesto onto slices of bread before toasting. The word \"pesto\" derives from the Italian for pestle, pestello.","ingredients_raw":["4 oz (100 g) fresh basil","About 8 oz (200 g) extra virgin olive oil","⅓ cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano or Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese or a 1:1 mixture.","¼ cup pine nuts or nut of choice (optional)","4 cloves garlic","Freshly ground salt and pepper (to taste)"],"ingredients_norm":["fresh basil","extra virgin olive oil","pecorino romano or parmigiano reggiano cheese or 1:1 mixture","pine nuts or nut of choice","garlic","ground salt and pepper"],"steps":["Preheat the oven to 425 °F (220 °C).","If using, toast the pine nuts in an ovenproof pan for 10–15 minutes, checking every 5 minutes to prevent excessive browning or burning.","In a small frying pan (skillet), heat 2 tbsp of the olive oil on medium heat.","Crush the garlic and sauté in the oil until soft, about 2–3 minutes.","Combine the basil, garlic, cheese, pine nuts and oil in a mortar and pestle until it forms a smooth paste, or use a food processor or blender and chop finely, slowly adding the oil to reach the paste-like consistency."],"categories":["Sauce recipes","Recipes for pesto","Recipes for pasta sauce","Italian recipes","Recipes using basil","Recipes using garlic"],"prep_time_minutes":null,"cook_time_minutes":null,"total_time_minutes":45,"servings":null,"yield_text":null,"difficulty":"medium","source_name":"wikibooks","source_url":"https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Cookbook:Pesto_I","source_ref":"4518820","authors_url":"https://en.wikibooks.org/w/index.php?title=Cookbook:Pesto_I&action=history","license":"CC BY-SA 4.0","license_url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/","extraction_confidence":null,"content_hash":"b638cd2ec457320f459e051e06664f6cff8a80acbb6c4450d1a0a83483d5455d","created_at":"2026-08-02T14:43:14Z","updated_at":"2026-08-02T17:11:31Z","notice":null,"url":"https://recipecontextprotocol.com/recipes/pesto-i"}