Pesto

The Catalan picada has its counterpart in the pesto of the Ligurian littoral — a pounded mixture of garlic, torn basil leaves and pine kernels to which grated pecorino sardo or parmesan is added. This is used to flavour vegetable soups, as a dressing for past’asciutta or gnocchi, and without the cheese as a fragrant sauce for poultry.

The picada and the pesto (pistou in Provençal) have three things in common: the pounding which liberates the flavour of herbs and garlic; the use of pine kernels as the medium for absorbing flavour, and the fragrance imprisoned in olive oil, which is only introduced at the end of the cooking so that its freshness is retained.