It is Pesto time! Faced with a garden club summer potluck gathering tomorrow, I have to whip up a main dish. (Annoyingly, appetizers and desserts are not allowed and those are really the only categories of food in my repertoire!) So I looked to my community garden plot for inspiration and found that it is the perfect time to pinch-back and harvest handfuls of fragrant basil to make pasta with pesto sauce.
I'm a bit of a pesto snob, it has to be fresh, made with toasted pine nuts, and a loads of Romano cheese. Truth be told, the green component is really just a vehicle for delivering those delicious bites of nuts and melted cheese into my mouth.
What is your favorite pesto recipe?
I love pesto season and don't mind experimenting a bit! I've found that walnuts (toasted or raw) make a perfectly acceptable substitute for pine nuts, and are a whole lot cheaper. I generally use roasted garlic rather than raw, for an earthier, more mellow flavor that goes well with the walnuts. And finally, I've taken to substituting purslane for 1/4 to 1/3 of the basil. None of these are "traditional" pestos but they are all very tasty. And when I make too much (which I always do!) I'll just spread it on toast the next day.
ReplyDeleteGood tip on the walnuts, John B.. Pine nuts can be so darn pricey.
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