Genoese pesto is one of the most popular sauces in Italy and, contrary to what one might think, it is not an ancient recipe. It seems that it was born in the second half of the nineteenth century and that it draws from the ancient Ligurian tradition of crushing herbs.
In Liguria, herbs have always been widely used in the kitchen, in the Middle Ages they were pounded to give flavor to the dishes of the poor cuisine, while in those of noble families they were used for decoration or to perfume dishes.
The first to mention Genoese pesto as we eat it today was Giovanni Battista Ratti in 1870 in "Genoese cuisine".
It should not be forgotten that already Virgilio in the "Bucoliche" mentions a farmer named Similo who eats a focaccia with moretum inside, a Roman sauce made with parsley, coriander, oil and cheese pounded in a mortar.
Recipe of Risotto with cuttlefish and Genoese pesto
For the recipe for risotto with cuttlefish and Genoese pesto, we start by cleaning the cuttlefish well, cutting it into strips and finally into cubes.
We take a pan where we put oil, garlic and very little pepper. When the garlic has taken the color we remove it and put the cuttlefish. Let it cook for a few minutes, then add some white wine and let it evaporate, once it has evaporated, turn it off.
Now let's start cooking the rice: put a little oil in a pan and when it is hot add the rice that we will toast well. Once this operation has been done, we begin to add fish (or vegetable) broth and when ¾ of cooking add the cuttlefish. Let it flavor and finish cooking, then remove from the heat and stir in the Genoese pesto.
In the glass I chose a Casale del Giglio Anthium 2021 from bellone grapes, a wine that has just been awarded the three glasses of Gambero Rosso.
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