Veronica's Kitchen Day 7: Pesto

Okay, I will admit it, she never prepared pesto that often. But when she did, oh how we loved her for it. Versatile, bold, herbal, zesty, we had nobody to thank but our Italian friends,  for this wonderful contribution to the culinary world.

So, what makes pesto so fabulous? Well, for one, it preserves quite well, up to 3 or 4 weeks in the fridge. Also, it is quite versatile in dishes. Not only can it be used in virtually any type of pasta, but pesto is a great condiment in salads. I sometimes place a dollop of pesto (when I'm out of fresh basil), on top of my caprese salad. Pesto is also delightful on flatbreads or on pizza, instead of tomato sauce, or simply slathered on a nice piece of toasted focaccia.

One of the most classic, basic pesto recipes is the one made with pine nuts and basil.  For those with nut allergies, you certainly can make this recipe without any nuts at all. And if you don't have an electric food processor, it is also entirely possible to do this with "mortar and pestle".  That will be considered old school, but it's doable!

The key to the following pesto recipe's bold, nutty flavor, is to lightly toast the nuts in a small skillet or on a flat sheet pan in the oven.  Lightly means lightly.  If you burn any part of the nut, its presence will be known with a charred, rather than smoky taste ;)  Also, if you feel adventurous or have different nuts in mind,(or in stock), try pistachios, hazelnuts or even almonds. The latter two will add a coarser, crunchier texture.  Fortunately, pesto is quite open to experimentation. So, be brave and have fun.  Just please don't use peanuts as they don't belong in this category!

Basic Basil Pesto

• 2-3 cups packed basil leaves
• 1/2 cup fresh grated parmesan or pecorino cheese
• 1/3 cup pine nuts (or walnuts), lightly toasted
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 fresh garlic cloves
• salt and pepper, to taste

Place basil, garlic and nuts in your food processor/blender. Set to low speed and pulse a few times to blend. After achieving a pasty consistency, start drizzling in the olive oil in a slow, steady stream while continuously blending. Finally, add the cheese and pulse for a few more seconds. You might have to stop the blender and scrape sides and blades to help incorporate the ingredients, and then give it one more whirl. The end product should be pasty but not too thick. To make it a bit more "saucy", you can simply add more olive oil. There are no hard and fast rules to this.  Also, be careful with the salt, add a bit at a time since the cheeses can be quite salty too.
 

This pesto will store very well in the fridge for at least 3 weeks. Place in a glass bowl and cover with plastic film, or better yet, an airtight lid. I keep mine in a small glass dish that has a glass cover. It does fine. You can also freeze your pesto by pouring it into an ice cube tray, which makes it easier to remove when you need smaller portions.