Playing With Knives

There are few things I enjoy as much as making and eating Pesto. It is quite simply one of my favorite sauces and always a crowd pleaser. My friend Brett recently wrote about his Pesto making ways here and while he makes his by hand and doesn’t enjoy my blender, I believe we share very similar views over this wonderfullly simplicstic sauce. I especially appreciate Brett’s idea of sticking to the blade, but I am one for modern conveniences.  I have made this recipe more than any other in repetoire, so I think my way works just as well and you will find it quite tasty.

My recipe:

• 2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/3 cup toasted pine nuts
• 2-3 medium sized garlic cloves (depending on your taste)
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

I simply put everything into my blender in the above order except for about a few tablespoons of oil and grind it on low. The second the mixture has a consistency you identify with as pesto, you stop. Typically the blender will not “catch” it all into the blades, so you need to add the reserve oil until it all blends. You will have to do some starting and stopping along with pushing down on the leaves with a giant spoon to get everying to incorpoarate into the lovely green sauce. I have made this dish at least a hundred times and have never worked up the oil enough to emulsify it. The only problem I’ve repeated in this recipe is that I sometimes I use too much garlic and it overpowers the sauce. This is why you may want to start with two cloves, taste the sauce then add more if needed. If you plan on using this as a dipping sauce for bread, then you will want to incorporate a bit more oil.

I find that serving the pasta as soon as it is blended is best. Since the garlic, basil and pepper hasve not had a chance to oxidize they still have a lot of pop when blended. Plus the color of the fresh pesto is an electric  green that can only achieve with fresh ingredients. When I eat pesto out sometimes I am sometimes disappointed by the near black looking specks of basil floating in a sea of oil at the bottom of the plate. So tragic. That being said, pesto will keep for a couple of weeks in the fridge. Put it in the absolutely smallest container you have and cover the whole thing with a float of olive oil. This will creat a seal from the outside and world and it wil lbe very tasty a second time.

Another great thing about pesto is that it can be a base for multiple other dishes, you can add sun-dried tomoatoes for a sweet contrast to the garlic, or add it to fresh goat cheese for a wonder full spread or try replacing the basil with mint. It’s scuh a versatile trreat and yet so delicious on it’s own with a little pasta.

Again, I appreciate your comments and feedback.