Massimo Bottura is an Italian restaurateur and the chef of Osteria Francescana, a three-Michelin star restaurant in Modena, Italy. It has been ranked No.1 on The World’s 50 Best Restaurants list twice and is currently part of the Best of the Best list.
Massimo and his wife Laura also have a stunning bed and breakfast in Modena called Casa Maria Luigia, several cookbooks and a balsamic vinegar and olive oil line called Villa Manodori.
I’ve known of Massimo for a while but really became obsessed with him during his 2020 Instagram series “Kitchen Quarantine” when Italy was in lockdown. Along with his family, he filmed a mini cooking show that quickly became an internet sensation . If you watch any clip of Massimo, his larger than life energy and passion are magnetic and you can’t help but love him.
For this pesto recipe, Massimo amplifies the herbaceousness of the sauce with mint and thyme (herbs that complement basil) as opposed to rosemary or sage (herbs that can overpower basil). Breadcrumbs, used in place of pine nuts, add flavor and body. He urges you to follow your palate, trust your instincts, and, as always, taste.
This recipe is all about adapting: to the season, to the ingredients, to your tastes. “You already know the technique,” Massimo says, “so add a little bit of each element at a time, taste as you go, and you will find your own flavor.” If you don’t have fusilli, use another pasta like cavatappi or penne rigate—any shape that has lots of surface area for the sauce to cling to.
Massimo’s basil mint pesto recipe may not be the most traditional, but you won’t miss tradition if you can create a pesto tailor-made to your palate. If you have tons of basil right now like us, you’ve got to make this dish!
You’ll Need
Tips For The Perfect Pesto
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- Quality Ingredients: Use high-quality extra-virgin olive oil and freshly grated Parmesan cheese for the best flavor.
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- Adjust to Taste: Feel free to tweak the amount of mint or basil according to your preference. Some might enjoy a stronger mint flavor, while others may prefer a balance with basil.
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- Storage: Store any leftover pesto in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week. You can also freeze it in ice cube trays for easy portioning and to have over the winter months.
Massimo Bottura’s basil mint pesto is a delightful twist on the traditional basil version, bringing a fresh and vibrant flavor to your kitchen. This recipe offers a sophisticated touch to a classic dish.
Give it a try and experience the culinary genius of one of Italy’s top chefs in your own home…buon apetito!
Ingredients
- Kosher salt
- 14 ounces (400 grams) dried fusilli pasta
- 1 garlic clove
- 8¾ ounces (250 grams) extra-virgin olive oil, plus more
- 3 cups lightly packed basil leaves
- 1 bunch mint
- 1 thyme branch
- 2½ ounces (75 grams) finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
- 3½ ounces (100 grams) freshly ground bread crumbs
Instructions
- Cook the pasta. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and season liberally with salt. Add the fusilli to the water and cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente, about eight minutes.
- Make the pesto. While the pasta is cooking, make the pesto sauce: Halve the garlic clove and rub its cut sides along the inside of your blender. Pour in the olive oil, then add the basil. Strip the mint leaves from the stem, add the leaves to the blender, then add the stem to the boiling pasta water. Remove as many thyme leaves as you can from the branch, add them to the blender, then add the branch to the boiling water as well. Add half the Parmigiano and half the bread crumbs to the blender. With the blender on, slowly stream in ½ cup of ice-cold water, adding more water by the tablespoonful, until the sauce blends smoothly. Add the remaining Parmigiano, season with salt, and blend again until smooth.
- Toast the rest of the bread crumbs. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Add the remaining half of the bread crumbs and cook, tossing occasionally, until toasted and crunchy, about four minutes. Transfer the bread crumbs to paper towels to drain and cool.
- Serve when the pasta is ready, drain it, reserving at least ½ cup of the cooking water but discarding the herb stems. Return the drained pasta to the pot, and stir in the pesto sauce along with more olive oil (about 1 ounce, or 30 grams) to emulsify the pasta and make it shiny, adding some cooking water by the spoonful to make a creamy, silky sauce. Spoon the pasta into four bowls, and sprinkle the toasted bread crumbs over the top to serve.
Gina