Getting to the root of this flavorful Italian sauce. By Sam Gugino Veal Vincenzo was a popular dish on the menu of a restaurant I operated in Philadelphia a number of years ago. Fred Plotkin feels that way about pesto, the sauce of basil, garlic, olive oil, pine nuts and cheese, from Italy's Liguria region.
People think they can mash up anything and call it pesto.
Classic pesto, like most Italian culinary creations, requires ingredients of impeccable quality, particularly the basil, olive oil and salt. Indeed, one can make a very good pesto with just these three. Liguria is known for pesto largely because its basil is superior to that found elsewhere in Italy. There is something about the proximity to the sea that promotes delicacy and flavor. Even within Liguria, some areas, such as the town of Pr , are considered to have higher quality basil than others.