Like many classic Italian recipes, the beauty of pesto is its simplicity. Hailing from Genoa in Italy’s north-west region of Liguria, pesto is traditionally made from olive oil, basil, garlic, pine nuts, salt and a hard cheese such as grana padano, pecorino, parmesan or parmigiano reggiano cheese – and it’s the freshness and quality of the ingredients that make or break it.
Shelf-stable supermarket varieties, of course, can’t compete with the vibrancy of a pesto pounded to order in a Genoa trattoria. But which pantry-friendly, stir-and-go jars come closest to capturing the Ligurian coast magic?
