Dinner DeeAs recipe: 5-Ingredient Fresh Homemade Pesto Sauce

5-Ingredient Fresh Homemade Pesto Sauce | Dinner DeeAs

It's a masterclass in making the perfect fresh pesto pasta paired with a restaurant-secret Caesar dressing.

Chef Christopher Covelli from Sage in Sarasota visits the kitchen to host a masterclass on the ultimate Italian classic. Learn the secret to vibrant, emerald-green pesto and a professional-grade Caesar dressing hack that outperforms any store-bought jar.

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Pasta with Pesto

Ingredients

• pinch sodium bicarbonate (baking soda)
• 2 large bunch fresh basil (about 8 oz)
• 1 ½ cups extra virgin olive oil
• 6 tbsp pine nuts
• cloves garlic, peeled
• 4 oz finely grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
• 1 lb pasta
• pinch salt

Directions

1. Bring water to boil in large pot. Add salt to season water ‘like seawater’. Add sodium bicarbonate to boiling water to retain color and soften texture of basil.
2. Prepare ice water bath in separate bowl.
3. Blanch fresh basil leaves in boiling water for about 1 minute.
4. Use spider or strainer to scoop out basil and immediately place in ice water bath to shock.
5. Add a little olive oil to blender or food processor.
6. Add pine nuts and garlic cloves. Pulse on slow speed until mixture reaches sandy texture.
7. Grate Parmigiano Reggiano cheese fresh with microplane for creamy consistency.
8. Remove basil from ice water and squeeze out all excess water.
9. Add squeezed basil to blender in pieces.
10. Add grated cheese and more olive oil.
11. Blend on medium to low while drizzling remaining extra virgin olive oil into blender.
12. Taste for salt and consistency; reserve pesto.
13. Use remaining basil blanching water to cook pasta. Boil pasta for 3 minutes less than package directions.
14. Drain pasta and place in warm pot with pesto. Toss and cook for 2 minutes over low heat to allow sauce to coat pasta.
15. Plate and garnish with extra freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano.

Caesar Dressing

Ingredients

• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1 tbsp distilled white vinegar
• 6 cloves garlic
• 2 anchovies (patted dry)
• ½ cup Parmesan cheese (grated)
• pinch corn starch
• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 head romaine lettuce

Directions

1. Combine mayonnaise, distilled white vinegar, garlic, anchovies, Parmesan cheese, and corn starch in food processor.
2. Pulse until ingredients are chopped and well combined.
3. Slowly drizzle in extra virgin olive oil while processor is running until dressing is smooth and light in color.
4. Add salt and pepper to taste.
5. Chill for 30 minutes if possible.
6. Toss with fresh romaine lettuce before serving.

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