Mexican pesto is the advanced version (or just a different version) of typical pesto sauce.
The sauce gained its name from the Genoese word ‘pesta’ which means to pound or squash.
This basically refers to the regular method of utilizing mortar and pestle to squash vegetables/herbs to make a sauce.
There are various varieties of pesto; however they all boast one glorious shade of green or the other because basil is the most prominent ingredient.
Health Benefits
As you might expect, the ingredients, particularly the greens in Mexican pesto sauce are not only tasty but very healthy too. They promote heart health and can significantly lower down the risk of getting chronic diseases because of the presence of antioxidants.
Furthermore, garlic in the sauce can even help regulate your blood cholesterol levels.
Ingredients
olive oil: 6 tbsp
Serrano Chile pepper, seeded: 1
a bunch cilantro
cloves garlic: 4
pumpkin seeds (pepitas): 1/4 cup
teaspoon of salt: 1/2
grated cotija cheese: 1/4 cup
How To Make Mexican Pesto
- Take pumpkin seeds and place them in a food processor or a blender.
- Let grind until the seeds are thoroughly chopped.
- Next, combine together cilantro, cheese, garlic, Chile pepper, salt, and olive oil. Mix well.
- Now cover up and process until you get a smooth paste.
- Transfer from the processor to a jar or a similar container by grazing the sides of the bowl with a spatula if needed.
Trivia
Pesto is thought to have two ancestors, backpedaling to the Roman age (27 BC). The old Romans used to eat a same kind of sauce called moretum, which was made by pounding garlic, salt, cheddar, herbs, olive oil and vinegar together.
The utilization of this sauce in the Roman food is even specified in the Appendix Vergiliana, a very old collection of sonnets.
During the Middle Ages (5th to 15th century), a widespread sauce in the Genoan cooking was agliata, which was fundamentally a crush of garlic and walnuts, as garlic was a staple in the nourishment of Ligurians, particularly for the seafarers.
Basil, the principal element of today’s pesto, was first recorded just in the mid-nineteenth century when gastronomist Giovanni Battista Ratto distributed his book La Cuciniera Genovese in 1863.