Ingredient Spotlight: Basil

Ingredient Spotlight: Basil

L’Aquila’s delicious and versatile products are created from carefully selected fresh Mediterranean produce and our Ingredient Spotlight serves to highlight our favourite seasonal vegetables and their diverse usages.

 

 

Intensely aromatic and delivering an authentic taste of the Mediterranean, this Ingredient Spotlight is dedicated to our fragrant basil ingredients.

Throughout literature and poetry, basil has been portrayed as a symbol of love, renowned for its beautiful descriptions of sweet flavour, natural vibrancy, and intoxicating fragrance. Dense in a fresh and peppery aroma, this much-adored herb transports your senses to various Mediterranean destinations, whether it's sunny Capri where it is torn over fresh tomatoes or to a rainy backstreet of Rome stewed into a warm Minestrone.

Our Sorriso™ basil products lend themselves to applications from dips, marinades and salad dressings to sandwich fillings, pizza toppings, and bakery inclusions.

 

Unique and steeped in provenance, the first ingredient we would like to present is our exceptional Sorriso™ concentrated crushed basil.

Pesto in the Italian language simply translates to ‘paste’ and in theory, a good Mediterranean pesto can be made with any herbs and vegetables (see our silky artichoke puree and rich sun-dried tomato paste for example!), however, arguably the most widely celebrated is classic green Pesto alla Genovese.

Pine nuts, garlic and basil are pounded until creamy before combining with hard Italian cheese and extra virgin olive oil. Salty, herby, nutty and creamy all at once, this historic recipe originated in the ancient city of Genoa and is now consumed across the globe.

In addition to the traditional recipe, we have developed our Sorriso™ vegetarian basil pesto and Sorriso™ vegan super green pesto, capturing the flavour and texture of the traditional recipe whilst meeting consumer needs.

Our delicious Sorriso™ Pesto alla Genovese is wonderful paired with meats, fish, and cheeses, such as:

Ready-to-cook chicken breast stuffed with pesto, cream cheese and wrapped with prosciutto

 

 

Soft, velvety cheeses work especially well with the acidic bite of our pesto, and almost any protein element will compliment these flavours.

Our Vegetarian Basil Pesto is made with quality vegetarian cheese and the addition of starch for creaminess. Dishes could include:

 Sliced potato and pesto flatbread with charred leek and smoked mozzarella  

 

 

Our Vegan Super Green Pesto is enriched with broccoli and kale to enhance both its colour and flavour. To perfectly emulate the classic recipe, we also add buttery broad beans for a pleasing texture. 

Use as a vegan marinade, spread or topping for an instant boost in flavour. Create a plant-based version of the trendy ‘pesto eggs’ with:

 Soft tofu scramble pot with vegan pesto, wilted spinach and mushrooms 

 

 

We are huge fans of healthy vegetable wraps packed with goodness in varied colours, textures and flavours. 


 It is important to note that given a brief we can create many different variations of our basil pesto recipes. We can also use basil pastes to flavour some of our Mediterranean vegetables such as pulled artichokes or chargrilled courgettes.

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