Gruber's Basil Pesto. A green pesto with 26 percent basil, cashews, and hard cheese – bold, savory, and handmade.
Gruber's Basil Pesto is a green pesto made from olive and sunflower oil, cashews, hard cheese, and 26 percent basil, seasoned with garlic, pepper, and salt. It comes from Gruber's Fruchtzauberei in Reigersberg near Ilz in Eastern Styria, is handmade, and comes in a 120g jar. A Styrian pesto featuring cashews instead of pine nuts.
Basil Pesto from Gruber's Fruchtzauberei is a pesto that acknowledges its origins in Liguria while still forging its own path. The word "pesto" comes from the Italian pestare, to crush. The most famous prototype is the pesto alla genovese from Genoa, where basil, pine nuts, garlic, hard cheese, and olive oil are traditionally ground in a mortar into a green paste. Gruber's Fruchtzauberei takes the same idea and adds its own flair. Instead of pine nuts, they use cashews; instead of pure olive oil, a blend of olive and sunflower oil. At 26 percent, the basil makes up a good quarter of the contents. The result is a pesto that tastes robustly of herbs with a mild, well-rounded mouthfeel.
Flavor
Upon opening the jar, it smells of fresh basil and garlic. On the palate, the herb takes center stage, green and slightly peppery. The cashews provide a soft, slightly sweet nuttiness. It is gentler than the resinous note of pine nuts and makes the pesto creamy. The hard cheese provides savoriness and salt, while the garlic adds a sharpness that stays in the background. Pepper rounds it all off.
The oil blend ensures that the pesto remains smooth and easy to spread. Olive oil provides a fruity note, while sunflower oil keeps the flavor mild. As a result, the oil never dominates, allowing the basil to shine.
Compared to the other pestos from Reigersberg, this is the classic, green variety. The walnut pesto is completely herb-free and tastes primarily of nuts. The tomato pesto is red and fruity, featuring bell peppers and oregano. If you are expecting a pesto alla genovese with pine nuts, you will find a unique, milder interpretation here.
Uses
The classic use is with pasta. Cook spaghetti, linguine, or trofie, fold in a few spoonfuls of pesto, and add a splash of the pasta water. The starch in the water binds the oil and cheese into a creamy sauce. One to two tablespoons are sufficient per serving. Freshly grated hard cheese and a few basil leaves on top complete the dish.
The pesto also works well with gnocchi, tortellini, and potatoes. Boil new potatoes with the skin on, halve them, and mix with the pesto while still warm: you now have a quick side dish for fish or grilled meat. Stirred into minestrone, a spoonful of pesto adds freshness and flavor to the vegetable soup just before serving.
Spread on bread, the pesto becomes a delicious topping. Spread it on a baguette, top with tomato slices and mozzarella, and toast briefly in the oven. You'll have a bread for your barbecue that is sure to be finished before the steaks and sausages. In a sandwich with chicken, arugula, and dried tomatoes, it replaces the mayonnaise.
It also pairs well with cheese. A spoonful of pesto over burrata or mozzarella with tomatoes makes for a quick appetizer. For roasted vegetables, grilled zucchini, or melanzani—as aubergines are called in Austria—add it only after cooking. Scrambled eggs and omelets also get a green, savory lift with a teaspoon of the pesto.
To keep the pesto fresh once opened, smooth the surface after each use and cover it with a thin layer of olive oil. Always use a clean spoon and return the jar to the refrigerator. When heating: only add the pesto at the very end to warm dishes so that the basil remains green and aromatic.
Our tip: Whisk two tablespoons of pesto with one tablespoon of apple cider vinegar and a little oil. This creates a dressing for tomato salad, pasta salad, or grilled vegetables. With the apple cider vinegar from the same producer, everything remains authentically Styrian.
Origin
The pesto comes from a farm kitchen in Eastern Styria, where the primary focus is processing fruit. Gruber's Fruchtzauberei is a small family business in Reigersberg near Ilz, surrounded by fruit trees, berries, and herbs. Its history dates back to 1860. Fruit has been grown there since the early 1990s, with a focus on apples.
René Gruber is a master fruit grower who oversees cultivation. Beatrix, a chef with a love for nature, handles the processing. In addition to jams, chutneys, and barbecue sauces, their range includes pestos. The two develop the recipes together, tasting and experimenting until the flavor is just right.
Work is done by hand, following the farm's motto: "Quality over quantity." For the basil pesto, this is evident in a short list of ingredients: oil, nuts, cheese, herbs, and spices—nothing else is needed. The cashews give the recipe its own signature style from the Styrian farm kitchen.
For whom?
The basil pesto is for everyone who loves to cook quickly and well. It fits perfectly into an after-work routine when pasta needs to be on the table in ten minutes. And it is ideal for a barbecue when the bread needs a little extra flavor. For families, it is a reliable pantry staple for busy evenings. The jar also makes a great small gift, for example, combined with a pack of high-quality pasta.
Those who like to keep various pestos on hand can combine it with the walnut and tomato pestos from the same kitchen. You can find more varieties from other producers in our Pesto category. All jars from Reigersberg can be found on the Gruber's Fruchtzauberei page.
Note: The pesto contains cashews and hard cheese, i.e., nuts and dairy. It is not suitable for vegans or those with nut allergies.
A green basil pesto with cashews from Eastern Styria—for pasta, grilled bread, and quick evening meals.
