Walnut Pesto

Walnut Pesto Recipe

A Walnut Pesto that's just as GREAT as a genovese style pesto recipe. The earthy flavor of the walnuts are just right to making this Pasta sauce perfect!

By taking one look at this site you'll know how much I love Pesto sauces. It's become a personal mission of mine to find and post as many pesto creations as possible. I just love the delicateness of this Italian Pasta sauce and the variety of ways you can use a pesto recipe.

You can add it to Italian pasta soups, spread it on bread for a twist of flavor to a sandwich, mix it with virtually any of your favorite Pasta Shapes or dollop it into a Tomato sauce recipe for a bright new flavor.

The list ends only with your imagination.

Pesto pasta is most famous in the Northern regions of Italy and a Cinque terre pesto recipe is known by world travelers everywhere. This homemade pesto tradition yields two types of Italian cheese.

Parmigiano and Pecorino!

The exact same blend of cheeses I use in this Walnut pesto recipe. Also, using both techniques of blending the ingredients of this pesto the traditional way with a mortar and pestle and by food processor I leave you with no excuses not to try this amazing ambrosia.

Walnut Pesto Ingredients:

1 cup of fresh basil
cup of Walnuts, halves or pieces
1 clove of fresh garlic
Pinch of course salt
cup of blended parmigiano and pecorino cheeses
Olive Oil

Walnut Pesto Preparation:

If you are using a food processor to make this pesto recipe you should only put the first four ingredients into the processor. The basil, walnuts, garlic and salt. Hold off on adding the oil until this mixture it is smoothly blended. Blend the ingredients until smooth, then open the food processor lid and scrape the sides of the processor and blend again. Repeat several times until ultra smooth.

If you do decide to go the distance with a mortar and pestle I promise you will not be disappointed. The aroma of the leaves and the smoothness of the texture that you can't compare.

Either way, don't add the cheese until the first ingredients are blended completely. Then mix in your blended cheeses to bring out the creaminess of the Italian pasta sauce.

At the end of this process you drizzle in the golden, delicious Olive Oil. Just enough to make it the consistency that you like. My grandmother made pesto with no measurements. A little of this and a little of that.