Ca' Messighi | Pesto from Liguria
Ca‘ Messighi – this name stands for the finest pesto from Liguria. In the north of Italy, where the climate allows mild olive varieties and aromatic basil to grow, pesto is the “sauce of choice” for the typical pasta dishes of Liguria. Pesto is always made from herbs or vegetables, nuts such as pine nuts or walnuts, grated cheese such as Parmigiano Reggiano or Grana Padano or Pecorino, and the best quality oil, which can be olive oil, nut oil, or sunflower oil. The classic Pesto Genovese, however, consists of basil DOP with protected designation of origin, Parmigiano Reggiano, pine nuts, and the best olive oil, and in the traditional version, of course, with garlic.
Ca‘ Messighi | A passion for pesto
The Ardissone family dedicated themselves to this exact type of sauce, namely pesto, 30 years ago and has perfected it over the years. The family, who have lived for generations in Diano San Pietro, a small town in the hinterland of Imperia in Liguria, were actually olive farmers producing Ligurian olive oil, but a passion for pesto turned Mario Ardissone into a basil farmer. That was almost 30 years ago now – and it has proven to be a good decision to this day, as the demand for pesto has risen. Today, Ca’ Messighi is managed by Romeo Ardissone and his wife, Guja.
In order to obtain tender and highly aromatic basil, cultivation takes place exclusively in the summer. Early in the morning, the fresh basil is harvested from their own fields, washed, and cut; then it is finely chopped again, mixed with olive oil, seasoned with a little salt, and then well chilled before this base is used to create the various pestos from Ca‘ Messighi. The Pesto Tradizionale made from Genoese basil is produced exclusively with more expensive pine nuts, once with and once without garlic; the Pesto Ricetta Ligure, based on a Ligurian recipe, is also available in these two variants, although here a portion of the pine nuts is replaced by cashews, which accounts for the price difference. In addition to basil pesto, the family business Ca‘ Messighi also produces a Pesto Rosso with sun-dried tomatoes, the Crema di Bosco with mushrooms, and the Crema di Noci, an aromatic nut pesto.
