Pesto

Pesto is a sauce made by pounding something fragrant with oil and salt, and its name comes from the Italian word for pounded. It comes from Liguria, the coast around Genoa. The classic is pesto genovese. The Genoese pesto consortium lists seven ingredients: small-leaf Genovese basil, extra virgin olive oil, Parmigiano Reggiano, pecorino Fiore Sardo, garlic, pine nuts and coarse salt. Pound walnuts instead and you get a creamy walnut sauce, and sun-dried tomatoes with basil turn the sauce red. The consortium pairs pesto with pasta such as trofie and trenette, and says it can also flavor minestrone, a vegetable soup. The guide to pesto and jarred sauces covers each style.

Where to buy pesto

Jars of Ligurian basil pesto, walnut pesto and red pesto from Italian makers are gathered on this page. The shop is at 263 Josephine Street in Cherry Creek, Denver, and products ship nationwide from theambrosianpantry.com. Visitors can ask staff questions in the shop. Classic pesto is a raw sauce, so stir it into hot pasta off the heat rather than frying it. For which pasta shape suits which sauce, see pasta shapes and sauces.