Who Loves Fresh Pesto? I do!
Here's an easy typical recipe for pesto:
Notice the tip in that recipe if you want to freeze your pesto. One tip a lot of people don't know about is to freeze your pesto in ice cube trays. Make it fresh in the summer when you have all of that basil growing in the garden. I like to cut the stems off the basil, I think the stems change the flavor. Don't obsess, just a quick clip w/the kitchen shears.
Variations- You can use other nuts instead of pinenuts like walnuts, almonds, etc. Also, you can use other leafy herbs like cilantro or arugula. While vacationing in Key West this month, a local "Fish Shack" served grilled corn on the cob, after it was grilled they brushed it with a cilantro pesto and then sprinkled it with Parmesan cheese. It was out of this world. When I came home Carli made the pesto, we just used traditional basil pesto, I grilled the corn, put it together & it was great.
Here's a version from Epicurious:
When I was in San Francisco last month we visited a great restaurant called the Stinking Rose. They served an awesome pesto as a dipping sauce with fresh warm bread. My guess is they added a little extra garlic then most recipes suggest, but so do we, we're Italian, it's an aphrodisiac for us! :)
A little pesto goes a long way. When you make it, you only need a tablespoon or two for your pasta. When I made some fresh pasta last week I added a little bit of cream (about 1/2 cup) with 2T pesto and 1/4 cup port wine(or sherry), cracked pepper & 1/4c Pecorino Romano cheese & was a delightful alternative for pasta sauce.
You could also use a little pesto as a sauce on a white pizza.
Here's one other variation of a pesto recipe that's a little better on calories, it's called "skinny pesto."
If you have other ideas for pesto, please add your comments below, let us all share in the ecstasy of pesto! Mangia Mangia!
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