Yes, I'm still banging my pesto drum

A recipe for lasagne alla Portofino and a reflection on the internet vs pesto

This is the type of dish that you thank after eating.

I love pesto, and I always have. But I will be completely transparent and let you know that the first time I tried it (and liked it), it was out of a jar. As a self-proclaimed pasta queen I need to state in my defence, this was during the early-00s in my early teens when pesto seemed to have suddenly become a thing in UK supermarkets, and it hadn’t made its way into my diet prior to then.

Anywho -

It wasn’t until later on that I tried Ligurian pesto - the proper stuff - for the first time. Some years later, in fact. Perched by the sea in Manarola, Cinque Terre. It was glorious, heavenly, herbaceous, and so very different to that dull, green sauce I had been stirring into pasta at an earlier time in my life. From a culinary perspective, you could argue it was life changing. I mean, from that point on I don’t think I bought a shelf-stable jarred pesto again. Consider my eyes opened.

What I love about food - especially food that leaves a lasting impression - is that you can use it to mentally transport yourself back to a time or place. Or perhaps trigger a fond memory, a moment. Pesto always takes me back to that plate of trenette with potatoes and green beans.