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Pesto

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“ Martha Stewart is getting out of prison so today the terror alert was raised from orange to pesto.”

-- David Letterman
If you can avoid it, don't use this garbage.

Pesto is a sauce made of basil, olive oil, garlic, cheese, and nuts. Depending on your taste, the cheese can be any sort of dry cheese, but purists say that you must use Parmigiano-Reggiano. Traditionally, Pesto is also made with pine nuts. However I have seen cashews, macadamia nuts, and even pecans used. I usually use pistachios because pine nuts are 17 bucks an ounce.

Pesto is pretty versatile. Most of the time, people put pesto on pasta as a sauce. Other uses include: in salads, on crusty breads, as a marinade on chicken and fish, or even on sliced tomatoes. When used on pasta, it is usually just plopped onto freshly cooked pasta and then mixed in.

A little bit of pesto goes a long way, so use it carefully.

Basil

“ Everyone makes pesto in a food processor. But the texture is better with a mortar and pestle, and it's just as fast.”

-- Mario Batali[1]

Last spring, I planted a bunch of basil. I like it on tomatoes and other things, but for some reason it went crazy. I have a ton of basil and so I figured I had better get the mortar and pestle out and make some pesto.

Pesto1.jpg

What You Need

  • Couple of handfuls of fresh, washed basil leaves
  • Some garlic
  • A handful of parmigiano cheese
  • A few glugs of olive oil
  • Pistachios
  • Salt
Pesto2.jpg

What You Do

Get out the mortar and pestle and start tossing stuff into it. Grind it all until you have a paste that is slightly creamy in texture. There, you have made pesto.

Pesto3.jpg

Actually, making pesto is much easier with a food processor,[2] so do that. I was only making a little bit and didn't feel like cleaning my food processor, so I did it the old fashioned way.

Pesto4.jpg

After You Are Done

You can freeze pesto and it lasts for months. Just be sure to cover it in plastic wrap or a glug of olive oil before you put it in the freezer. This will protect it from oxidizing and turning a yucky black color.

Pesto5.jpg

References

  1. ↑ Who is wrong!
  2. ↑ Traditionalists will scream at you, but screw them, they aren't making pesto for you.
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mmmmm, Pesto is a part of a series on Food
Click here to open up the recipe book.

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