In Italy, especially on certain days of the week in towns throughout the country, you can find markets which sell fresh and local produce and they’re really great places to shop. You can mix it with the oldies who’ve been going for years and know all the secrets about who’s got the best cheese, or the freshest vegies or the crustiest bread.

Our colleagues at Gustoblog have done their homework for the month of May and discovered that the best dish around, especially in Liguria, is pesto. And the essential ingredient is basil, preferably from this region of Italy. So how do you make Genovese pesto?

First of all the traditional accompaniment is potatoes and beans, always bearing in mind though that the Italians are very serious about their cooking so don’t get too imaginative. To reinforce this, just last month the World Pesto Mortar Made Championships took place in Genoa, Liguria’s capital (hey why not get yourself a nice marble Mortar to get fit for next year Championsip?). Here’s how to prepare a good pesto.

As with anything, the choice of the finest ingredients is important and sticking your nose in basil bunches is the easiest way to get to know your product. The best basil is (hopefully) from Liguria, has smaller leaves and must not smell or taste of mint (you may as well have a chew while you’re at it). The pesto that results is better than anything that comes out of a jar.

So to the recipe. Ingredients: three bunches of basil, three garlic cloves, 50 grams of parmesan cheese (not grated from the supermarket but that salty dry stuff you can probably buy next door to the basil stall in the market), 50 grams of Sardinian pecorino, 50 grams of pine nuts, extra-virgin olive oil (the most delicate you can find), salt, two potatoes and 150 grams of green beans. And for four people, half a kilo of pasta.

Preparation: the traditional way of preparing your pesto is to use a pestle and mortar to mix the ingredients. Otherwise a blender will do just as fine. Put into the mixer the washed basil, garlic, parmesan, pecorino, pine nuts and a pinch of salt. Blend in intervals so as not to overheat the blender and oxidise your ingredients. When the mix is entirely integrated, add the oil for some softness and do a final blend.

Now that the pesto is ready you can the potatoes (peeled and chopped) and the beans to boiling water with some salt. After about 10-15 minutes you can add the pasta. When ready strain the lot and stir through your pesto. Buon appetito!!