Sacla Pesto Fiery Chilli, a spicy red pesto in a glass jar from the family company founded in 1939, for pasta, pizza bases, sandwiches and dips.
Sacla's jar is easy to pick out: a deep orange-red pesto behind a cream label with the year 1939 in a small banner, SACLA in bold red capitals, PESTO in orange and fiery chilli in script, with ripe tomatoes and a red chilli in the corner. A side flash reads crafted in Italy, and the orange lid band says famiglia italiana. A close-up in the gallery shows the coarse, rust-red texture. As general background, the name pesto comes from a Genoese verb meaning to pound or crush, and Calabria in southern Italy has a spicy pesto of its own. This one typically brings more heat than a classic basil pesto. Commonly, cooks stir a spoonful through hot penne with a splash of pasta water, spread it over flatbread and pizza bases instead of tomato sauce, and swipe it inside toasted chicken or halloumi sandwiches. It also livens up hummus, roast potatoes and grilled vegetables. The jar is small enough to finish within a few days in a home kitchen, so the pesto tastes fresh to the last spoonful. Smooth the top flat and cover it with a thin film of olive oil before closing an opened jar, then keep it in the fridge.
