Basil and Garlic Paste

Name: Basil and Garlic Paste (Pistou)
Yield: Makes About 3 cups
Cuisine: France
Ingredients: 4 cloves garlic, chopped; ½ teaspoon salt (coarse if you’re using a mortar and pestle, fine or coarse if you’re using a blender); ¾ cup [175 ml] “pure” olive oil (or extra-virgin olive oil if you’re using a mortar and pestle); 3 tightly packed cups fresh basil leaves (leaves from 2 large bunches); 1 cup [250 ml] extra-virgin olive oil; 3 cups [300 g] finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or grand padana

Pistou

Preparation info

Makes About
3 cups

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

Glorious French Food

By James Peterson

Published 2002

About

Though pistou is used mainly to convert vegetable soup into soupe au pistou, it’s also delicious when dolloped, as a sauce, over grilled seafood, chicken, or vegetables.

Ingredients

½ teaspoon salt (coarse if you’re using a mortar and pestle, fine or coarse if you’re using a blender)
4 cloves garlic, chopped

Europe
France
Sauce
Vegetarian
Mediterranean
Gluten-free

Method

The recipe calls for both “pure” olive oil and extra-virgin olive oil because, if you’re using a blender to work the oil, garlic, and basil into a paste, extra-virgin olive oil may turn bitter. Because of this, the “pure” olive oil is puréed with the other ingredients in the blender, and the extra-virgin olive oil is added at the end by hand.

If you have a large mortar and pestle, use a