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Old School ITALIAN PESTO with Mortar & Pestle – Thick, Creamy and Delicious!!

Italian Chefs always say you can’t create the flavors and textures of a traditional Italian basil pesto with a food processor. You absolutely need to spend the time and energy pounding and grinding it with a Mortar and Pestle!

I always wanted to try this way and today, I’m going to try my hand (or arm) at making pesto the traditional way, and we’ll see how big the difference is vs. pesto made out of a food processor!

A mortar and pestle is the traditional way of making all kinds of emulsions, pastes, and spice mixtures. There are many different kinds, ranging from the Mexican molcajete to the Thai granite kind with the coarse interior. There’s also the Italian mortar and pestle to make pesto, which consists of a marble mortar with a wooden pestle.

A food processor uses a metal blade to rip and shred the ingredients, whereas a mortar and pestle actually crushes the individual cells to release aromatic compounds. Italians say this is supposed to yield a better flavor and a richer aroma.

Here are more details for my pretty decent version:

TOTAL COST: .. $5.53 USD
Yield (# servings): .. 6
Cost/serving: .. $0.92

RECIPE:
Ingredients .. Raw Amount .. Grocery .. Source Cost
*1/4 cup sunflower seeds, toasted .. Trader Joe’s .. $0.29
* 2 medium cloves garlic, peeled .. Trader Joe’s .. $0.10
* 2 cups tightly packed basil leaves, sliced two or three times .. Terhune Orchards .. $2.95
* 2/3 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano .. Trader Joe’s .. $1.93
* Sea salt .. N/A .. $0.00
* 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more as needed .. Costco .. $0.26

Directions:
1. Use a mortar and pestle to pound and grind the sunflower seeds into a fine paste (no distinct pieces should be visible).
2. Add the garlic and pound until smooth and integrated.
3. If the basil leaves are very large, run a knife through them once or twice to cut them down in size. Add basil to sunflower seeds along with a pinch of salt, which will help break down the leaves. Continue pounding and grinding until the basil breaks down completely (if your mortar is small, pound the basil in batches), about 7 minutes. Once the seeds, garlic, and basil combine into a thick green paste, stir in Parmigiano-Reggiano and olive oil. Taste and adjust salt as needed.

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