Pesto

Base ingredients

basil, pine nuts, garlic, olive oil, hard grating cheese

Application and bake suitability

Applied thinly and sometimes drizzled on after baking to preserve the basil's colour and aroma

Baking dulls fresh basil's flavour and colour; many contemporary preparations add pesto partly or entirely after the bake

Preparation and storage

Traditionally pounded in a mortar and pestle to avoid the heat and oxidation a blender blade introduces, which can dull the basil's bright green colour and flavour — though blending is common in practice for speed.

Oxidises and browns quickly once made; a thin film of olive oil on the surface and refrigeration slow this, but it's best made close to use.

Common problems

• Baking pesto for the full bake time can turn it dark and bitter

Substitutions

• olive-oil-base (if fresh basil pesto isn't available, a herb-infused oil gives a lighter, less assertive result)

Pairs well with

Styles using this sauce

• Pizza contemporaneaCommonly usedGenerally accepted

  A common alternative base for this movement's gourmet topping combinations, offering an aromatic, herbal contrast to the classic tomato canon.

• California-style pizzaRegionally commonLimited evidence

  An aromatic, herbal base option that pairs well with this style's seasonal produce-forward toppings, such as arugula and fig.

Evidence

Adding pesto partly or fully after the bake to protect basil's colour and flavour is standard contemporary pizzeria practice.

No external sources attached to this specific claim beyond editorial synthesis.