Dialect is still very strong in the Genoan food tradition, and the mandilli, the local word to say tissues, are no other than boiled lasagna, which are then served on a tray, covered in sauce. They fit perfectly with the traditional, world-famous pesto sauce, which must absolutely never be warmed up or cooked. The original ingredients are an excursus of local history: basil from the nearby Prà, extra-virgin olive oil from Imperia, pine nuts from Pisa, garlic, coarse salt, Tuscan or Sardinian pecorino, and Parmesan. Pesto must be made by "pestando" (crushing) the ingredients with a mortar; coarse salt is used to rip the basil leaves, and the oil, pignoli, garlic, and grated cheese are added in a second phase. When boiled potatoes and string beans are added to the pesto, it is called "pesto avvantaggiato" (basically “enhanced pesto”).
Read more
