Pesto

“ 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

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.

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

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.

Actually, making pesto is much easier with a food processor, 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.

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.

References

mmmmm, Pesto is a part of a series on Food

Baked Eggs | Clam Dip | A 75 Dollar Meal In Japan | Chef Jean Pierre | Breakfast | You Must Eat All The Eggs | Spider Goulash | Watermelon | Moleasses | Fresh Salsa | Cigarettes | Lunch | Homemade BBQ Sauce | Ramen | Brunch | Smokes | Dinner | Supper | Afternoon Tea | Doritos Ingredients | Late Night Snack | So Hi | 9 Pounds Of Onions | Hot Sauce | Microwave Oven | Blue Moon | Tomato Soup | The Destruction Of Food Processing Facilities | Rejected Mountain Dew Flavors | Self Serving Skillet | RC Cola | Poppers | Cheese Spread | Sushi | The Scoville UNIT | Burger | Brussels Sprouts | Justin Wilson | Pesto | The Waffle House Index | Pickled Garlic | The Tennis Racket | WHOPPER WHOPPER WHOPPER WHOPPER | The War On Eggs | Cereals That Are Gone | Ketchup On A Hot Dog | Stainless Steel And Garlic | Red Bull Inn | Mustard | La Choy | KFC Firelog | Domicopter | Chili Crisp | Zah | Adobo Chuck Roast | The Old Pick Nose And Eat It Switcheroo | Resiniferatoxin | La Fin du Monde | Coffee | Frank's Red Hot© | Omelette Man | Vegan | Chinese Restaurant Syndrome | Chili | Cheeses | Sausages | Chicken And Noodles | GWEET | Superman Imitation Pasteurized Process Cheese Spread | Big Brussel Sprouts | Prime Rib | Chowder | When I Feel Bad | Trout | Maytag Blue Cheese