Sicilian Pesto: An Underappreciated Classic | Potluck Video

parmesan cheese

🥗Healthier: nutritional yeast

💰Cheaper: grana padano

Nutritional yeast offers a cheesy flavor with fewer calories.

almonds

🥗Healthier: pine nuts

💰Cheaper: sunflower seeds

Sunflower seeds provide a similar texture at a lower cost.

Start with sea salt at the bottom of the mortar to give traction for extracting oils.

Cut the tender fronds of fennel into smaller pieces using scissors for easier processing.

Add beautiful fresh basil to the mixture.

Use one garlic clove for the preparation, suitable for four or five plates of pasta.

Add marinated Sicilian anchovies to the mixture.

Begin smashing the ingredients in the mortar to create the pesto, focusing on extracting oils.

As you smash and turn, the herbs will start to get wet and grab the almonds, aiding in the process.

Once the mixture resembles pesto, add olive oil to achieve the desired consistency, avoiding making it too wet.

Blanch the pomodorini, then pull the skins off using your fingers.

Add the peeled tomatoes directly into the pesto to marinate and pick up the flavors from the herbs.

Let the pesto sit for at least 10 minutes, or even a few hours for better flavor integration.

Cooking Techniques

Equipment Needed

Spice Level:

Dietary

Allergens