Pesto Made in a Blender

This version of the Ligurian sauce was given to me by the excellent Genoese baritone, Giuseppe Taddei. He is well known in both romantic and comic roles, and is also admired for his beautiful phrasing and fine acting. Here, in his own words, are Taddei’s thoughts and recipe for pesto: “Pasta is the prince of Italian cuisine and, for its pliability, is a bit of a symbol of fantasy, plasticity, and the capacity of this people to create much with very little. There are innumerable pasta