Black Garlic Basil Pesto

In this wacky world of mash-ups and collabs and modern interpretations, this updated pesto makes total sense.

Traditional pesto, the northern Italian sauce made from basil, olive oil, and garlic, has been pushing tomato sauce out of the pasta night spotlight for years now. It’s herbaceous, bright, fresh tasting. It’s great. But when you use black garlic instead of fresh in the recipe, the pesto goes from slightly exotic to otherworldly.

That’s the magic of black—or should I say fermented—garlic. Fermenting brings wonderful sweet and umami notes forward, almost like a good balsamic vinegar. When you mix that with basil, oil, and in this case an indulgent dose of walnuts, you get a sauce that’s smooth, rich, a little sweet, a bit creamy, and incredibly complex.

I fully support this type of ingredient and if you love pesto, I know you will, too. Try it on pasta, on sandwiches, alongside your eggs, or over a grilled steak or veggies.

A jar serves 4.