Slow Travel – The Beauty of Standing Still
Travel expert Amanda Hyde, who has written for Condé Nast Traveller and The Telegraph, explores the art of slow travel across southern Italy.
Genoese Pesto
Ingredients:
40 basil leaves
100ml of extra virgin olive oil
60g of parmesan cheese
1 clove of garlic
60g of walnuts
The most effective tool for preparing pesto is the mortar, made of marble or wood and a "pestle" of the same material.
Using this tool allows you to have a physical relationship with the material and, fundamentally, the ingredients do not heat up and do not lose perfume and colour.
If we don't have a mortar, or we don't have the time or the desire to work, we use a blender.
In the original pesto there is some garlic. You can leave it out if you don't like it or you can try to sweeten it.
The method to make it less aggressive is simple: boil the garlic three times, starting each time with cold water.
We must be careful to put two ice cubes in the blender.
Then: ice, basil and nuts (sweetened garlic) to turn. Then parmesan cheese and a drizzle of oil. Add salt, pepper and if necessary a pinch of sugar.
Trapanese Pesto
Ingredients:
400g of ripe tomatoes
50g of almonds
1 whole clove of garlic
10 mint leaves
10 basil leaves
60ml of extra virgin olive oil
60g of grated pecorino cheese
1) Lightly toast the almonds and cut them into small irregular pieces.
2) Peel (spend a few seconds in boiling water) and remove the seeds from the tomatoes and cut them into squares.
3) Chop the mint.
4) Chop the basil.
5) Peel the garlic.
6) Combine these ingredients in a bowl and cover with oil.
7) Before serving, add the grated pecorino cheese and remove the garlic.
Rocket pesto
Ingredients:
50 arugula leaves
50ml of extra virgin olive oil
30g of pine nuts
10 drops of balsamic vinegar
5 drops of honey
1) Blanch the rocket in boiling water for 10 seconds, then transfer the rocket to water and ice to stabilise the temperature and to fix the colour.
2) Toast the pine nuts for a few minutes in a non-stick pan.
3) Blend all the ingredients, add a drizzle of oil.
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