Pesto Perfect!

There are fewer things that say summer so quintessentially to me than pesto. Always a seasonal favorite of mine, my mother always served pesto pasta to us kids while we were growing up.  For many years that basil that starred as the main ingredient often came straight from our backyard.  I remember the massive basil plants my mother used to keep that lined the trim of the backyard, growing along our fence, she always encouraging me to pick their flowers.  As the nutrients in our sandy soil eventually became depleted my mother gave up on growing her fresh basil instead opting to purchase it at many of the local fruit markets.  But she still made pasta pesto EVERY year and would even freeze her pesto in quart sized zip lock bags so that she could chip off the perfect amount for pasta dishes throughout the fall and sometimes into winter.  So when the time came for me to move out into my own place I found myself missing her amazing pesto and wanting to make my own.  My mother makes her pesto ONLY with pine nuts/pignoli, which is quite expensive.  So, when I was living in Brooklyn my mother would frequently ask me to stop at some of the Islamic grocery stores down on Atlantic Avenue where I would buy the pine nuts in bulk at a fraction of the price the Italian specialty shops were selling it for here in Staten Island.   Since then I’ve experimented with other kinds of nuts in my pesto and the results were quite good.  Walnut pesto & almond pesto hold up extremely well with a similar flavor result & are a less expensive option than pine nuts, which in some parts of the country are only available in small 8oz jars, shelf life unknown.  

While my mom stuck to her standard basil/garlic/olive oil/parmesan pesto recipes I experimented with other ingredients.  One of my favorites that I go to – is a sundried tomato version.   The warmth & sweetness of the sundried tomatoes are a perfect compliment to the basil and it is truly versatile for other uses.  Freeze this pesto like my mom did in zip lock bags or use ice cube trays for single servings (but be warned, if using plastic the garlic flavor WILL absorb and you will NEVER be rid of it).  I love this pesto tossed with pasta or mixed with vinegar for light salad dressing or even mixed with softened butter, creating a compound that is delicious spread on a crusty French baguette by itself or as part of sandwich.  Also delicious tossed with steamed green beans and a bit of lemon juice or mixed into the mayonnaise of a good red potato salad.  I recently served this mixed with a bit more olive oil and drizzled over goat’s cheese and an assortment of crackers- people were INTO IT.  The pesto possibilities are endless and I’m a big fan! I suggest you give it a shot! This is another beautiful no-heat necessary recipe & perfect if you might be embracing the whole “meatless Monday” movement.

Ingredients

Yields About 2 Cups of Pesto

½ Cup of oil-packed sun dried tomatoes

½ Cup of walnuts, pine nuts or almonds (your choice)

3 Cups of fresh basil

3 Garlic cloves

½ Cup of olive oil

½ Teaspoon of Salt

½ Cup of grated fresh Pecorino Romano

¼ Teaspoon of pepper

Toss all ingredients except the oil into your food processor and pulse the motor until coarsely chopped. Stream in or add the oil a little at a time until all combined- you may need to scrap down the sides of the processor and continue mixing. That’s ALL it takes! 

For the vinaigrette add about two tablespoons of white wine vinegar to about a quarter cup of pesto.