This time I used a Mexican molcajete which is similar and the closest thing I have to a mortar and pestle

by BonusCapable1486

15 Comments

  1. lor_petri

    Secondo me ci manca ancora un po’ di olio, non di oliva ma di gomito. Mi sembra molto grossolano

  2. dropsomebeets

    Have you tried grinding the nuts and garlic first, then adding the basil and oil, and lastly adding the grated cheese? That will improve the texture significantly because basil has a softer texture than nuts and garlic.

  3. eddieiey

    Yeah, still a little too leafy. Smash it up a bit more. You might need to separate it into two batches to get enough force in that small mortar. Also, that looks like enough pesto for a small army. A little goes a long way.

  4. No_Entertainment1931

    The pock marked surface makes it a lot harder to get a smooth pesto compared to marble but it’s the taste that matters.

  5. Huerrbuzz

    Way too thick and maybe too many nuts. That’s not the colour of pesto

  6. CapNigiri

    How are you preparing it? Pesto mortar are definitely larger than yours, so prepare smaller batches

  7. anthomaniaclou

    im from liguria and i can tell you theres wayyyy too many nuts in that pesto

  8. OkLettuce338

    What are the chunks? It should be smooth

  9. I_Piccini

    It’s supposed to be light green, not yellow like this. And you need to work it waaaay more and a different mortar, with smooth surfaces ’cause this one seems to work for other applications.

  10. Any-Engineering9797

    I think you need a smooth surface mortar & pestle, not a molajete. It is a bit too rough.

  11. xmichann

    I think you need to add a bit more basil and they need to be crushed a little more, the pieces are too big. I use about 3-4 tablespoons of pine nuts and 2 garlic cloves per 4 cups of basil (cheese and oil amounts depend on what we are feeling that day). Play with the ratios to your liking but the basil should be the star.

  12. Ok_Willingness2174

    I make pesto a few times a year. Here is my recipe / hints:

    1) Mortar and pestle ALL Basil before adding anything else!

    Ingredients:

    – 4 cups fresh basil leaves (from about 3 large bunches)
    – ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
    – ⅓ cup pine nuts
    – 2 garlic cloves
    – ¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan (SUPER FINELY GRADED)
    – ¼ cup freshly grated Pecorino Sardo (SUPER FINELY GRADED)
    – 1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt

    – start basil only. With small amount of oil. Always takes longer than expect. Generally best to work about 1/4 of basil at first and add a few leaves at a time.
    – add pine nuts and then garlic.
    – add cheeses last!
    – always easier to add more oil. Cheese will soak up a lot of oil.

  13. HealthyIsland7554

    kind of missing the pesto in pesto