One of the sweetest memories of my childhood, is the moment when I used to help my mother preparing Pesto sauce. We left Genoa and we emigrated to a small village on the Swiss border, when I was just a little girl. Preparing Pesto, for my mother and my family was something like going back home. That’s why it was so important for my mother to make it only when, coming back after visiting my grandparents and uncles based in Genoa, we could bring home, like a trophy, the original Genoese basil: Prà basil. This basil has a particular sensory quality, that makes Pesto a very special sauce: tasty, genuine and, above all, healthy. Its essential oils make it magic and you can easily recognize it from the scent, the color and the shape of the leaves. Remember, if you want to live this mystic experience: small, light green leaves in the shape of a teaspoon! So even now, when I’m going to make homemade Pesto, I blindly follow my mother’s law: “Don’t make Pesto, if you can get Prà basil!”. Furthermore, basil is not the only issue, when one talk about traditional Pesto sauce. This sauce is a matter of legacy. Even if the modern recipe is not so ancient, it dates back to the beginning of the 20th century, it preserves the echoes of ancient recipes and know-hows coming especially from the Romans and from the Arabs. It is the case for garlic, a disinfectant, and for coarse salt, known for its preservative properties. It is the case of pine nuts, strictly coming from Pisa, and of the two traditional cheese, Parmigiano Reggiano and Pecorino Sardo. But, it’s also a matter of the know-how and backstory behind marble mortar and pestle, the traditional tools used since the origin of this and other Ligurian sauces. In my opinion there is nothing so impressive and evocative as to get intensely inside the traditional cuisine of a place, in order to deeply grasp the meaning of its history and its evolutions. But now let me bring you inside the family recipe and some tips that my mother passed on to me. Seven are the ingredients and seven are the steps and the tips that I’m going to give you, let’s start! 1) First step and first ingredient: garlic, possibly organic and Italian (top choice: Aglio from Vessalico). Peel it and remove the germ from the garlic clove and start to beat it inside the mortar; 2) Add Pisa pine nuts (25/30 gr.) and keep beating them into a pulp. 3) Put in 1 teaspoon of coarse salt and mix it. 4) And now comes the moment of “his majesty” - basil: the leaves of one small bunch for each guest; this is one of the most crucial moments. As I told you before, basil boats very delicate and healthy essential oils and it’s extremely important to preserve them. So if you use the mortar and the pestle the movement should be precise and quick. If you are using a food processor, it’s vital, first of all, to keep the blender jar in the freezer for about an hour. It’s mandatory not to over heat the basil. So please be careful. 5) Now you can add Parmigiano Reggiano (about 65/70 gr of 18/24 months aged cheese) freshly grated. 6) And then you can add Pecorino Sardo (about 30/35 gr of 10 months cheese) freshly grated too. 7) At the and of this process of melting and beating, another key moment: EVO, best if Ligurian. The quantity depends on the consistence we want to obtain that could be a little bit different according to the kind of pasta that you are going to dress. But it also crucial to add the oil scantily, without stopping to mix the sauce And that’s it, folks! Very soon Pesto sauce will be ready and your guests will be delighted and in love with it. And remember… it’s a family secret! ;-) Ps.