Turning the Tables on Jonathan Gold

Jonathan Gold is the Pulitzer Prize winning food critic for the LA Weekly. He recently was a contestant in the Los Angeles Semifinals of the World Pesto Competition. The finals are held in Genoa, Italy, every year.

This is the official recipe of the competition:

Mortar-Made Pesto Sauce

4 bunches Genoese basil

30g pine nuts (1 oz)

445-60g Pecorino Sardo cheese, grated (16 oz)

1-2 garlic cloves

10g coarse salt (1/3 oz)

60-80 cc Extra-Virgin olive oil from the "Italian Riviera" (1/3 cup)

The marble mortar and wooden pestle are the tools traditionally used to make pesto.

Wash the basil leaves in cold water and dry them on a tea towel but don’t rub them.

Repeat this process. When the basil drips bright green liquid, add the Parmesan cheese and the Fiore sardo cheese.

Pour in a thin layer of PDO extra-virgin olive oil from the Italian Riviera, which lightly blends the ingredients without overdoing.

The preparation must be done as quickly as possible to avoid oxidation problems.

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