The other night, Trudy and I dropped into our local supermarket to pick up a few staples, and while I was in the refrigerated section something really caught my eye. It was a flashy looking new brand of pesto.
Now, I’m a pesto lover from way back, but I’m usually pretty wary of pre-packaged pesto — simply because I’ve had some rather dismal tasting pre-packaged stuff in the past. But the packaging was so slick, and the contents looked so remarkably good that I at least had to look at the ingredient list to see whether it was made to the classic Genoese recipe. (The Italian city of Genoa is where pesto originates, by the way.)
I scanned the ingredients list, and wasn’t disappointed.
Basil. Check.
Garlic. Check.
Extra virgin olive oil. Check.
Parmesan. Check.
Pine nuts. Check.
And there weren’t any bizarre sounding additives or preservatives either — a definite bonus.
At this stage I was getting seriously tempted to just throw the pesto in the cart, but I knew that Trudy would need some convincing first. Like me, she’s very aware that pre-packaged pesto can be very hit or miss. But after showing her the authentic list of ingredients, and pointing out how incredibly tasty it looked, she agreed that it was at least worth giving a try.
Well, the pesto might have contained all the right ingredients and looked glorious, but when we got it home and tossed it through some pasta with shrimp and green beans, it tasted far from glorious. It had a slight vinegary undertone, and the consistency was way too dry (I think this was because they’d skimped on the extra virgin olive oil, and probably the pine nuts as well — both relatively expensive ingredients).
Anyway, the upshot of the evening was that we vowed never to buy pre-packaged pesto again, no matter how flashy the packaging! And besides, we have our own pesto recipe that we both really adore. Yes, it takes a little more work than pulling the top off a package of store-bought pesto, but not that much more.
We don’t take the time-consuming route and use a mortar and pestle to pound the pesto into a paste by hand. We’ve found that the results in a food processor or blender can be excellent, and we actually prefer the slightly more textural consistency of pesto made this way.
And speaking of consistency, we’re definitely not fans of pesto that’s either too oily or too dry. So we’ve found a great trick is to add a little water along with the other ingredients before processing. This gives the pesto a perfect consistency — moist, but not too oily. It also helps the blades process the other ingredients more easily into a paste.
We’ve also found that it’s a good idea not to go overboard with the garlic. Raw garlic is very pungent, and it can easily overwhelm the flavor of the other ingredients in the pesto. Of course, if you’re a bit of a garlic fiend, feel free to add more!
Pesto
Makes roughly 1 cup
- 1 cup tightly packed fresh basil leaves
- 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/3 cup pine nuts, lightly toasted
- 1 clove garlic, roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
In a food processor or blender, combine the basil, Parmesan, pine nuts, garlic, water, salt, and pepper. While you process, slowly pour the olive oil into the mix until all the ingredients turn into a smooth paste (you may have to scrape the sides occasionally). Store in the refrigerator, covered, for up to 3 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Serving Ideas: Pesto has a myriad of uses, such as tossed with hot pasta, spread over bruschetta, used as a pizza sauce, stirred into soups just before serving, mixed with mayonnaise to dress salads and sandwiches, used as a filling for baked potatoes, or served as a dip with vegetable crudités.
Variations: Walnuts, pistachios, macadamias, almonds, or cashews can be substituted for the pine nuts.
10 Comments
I already commented in one of my Domestik Goddess’s Guest posts that I knew MediterrAsian while looking for pesto, so this adds a sentimental value to the fact that I love its taste.
Pasta al pesto is definitely a major favorite of mine. The very idea of the strong taste of pesto as a thin layer over a whole plate of tagliatelli just make my mind wonder.
Pesto and pasta are a perfect match, that’s for sure. Pesto stirred through risotto is also sublime. And it makes a brilliant marinade for grilled foods too.
Coincidentally, I’ve been thinking about pesto lately. Now I must pick up some basil!
Even though it’s unsaturated fat, the olive oil packs a lot of calories. I’ve seen one recipe that recommended using a tomato in lieu of the traditional olive oil.
@Mike G. -
Sounds an interesting variation, it probably even deserves a new name. Maybe “Pesto Caprese”, since caprese is a common name for basil/tomato/cheese dishes
By “in lieu” do you mean no olive oil at all, or just less oil and an added tomato?
Mike, I could imagine tomato being added to pesto, in fact sun-dried tomatoes work really well in a pesto. But I couldn’t imagine tomatoes replacing the extra virgin olive oil. The olive oil not only gives the pesto viscosity, it also adds flavor — plus it’s a great source of health-promoting antioxidants.
I can understand your concern about the calories though. But pesto is very rich and flavorsome, so a little goes a long way.
Ric, I agree that a good pesto, which is easier to make than to find, is very strong. I thought this was an interesting alternative.
Guilherme, I don’t have the recipe, but it came from cookbook author Martha Rose Shulman as I recall. She suggested using the tomato to replace the olive oil for those who want a lower calorie version.
Maybe, as you both point out, it deserves to be called something else altogether. I do like the sound of “Pesto Caprese”!
I know what you mean, shop bought pesto is nearly always on the dry side. I use the same trick as you guys - a splash of water to loosen it up.
I must admit to not eating pesto terribly often for the same reason as Mike G. Olive oil is a far healthier choice of oil which is great, but those calories still have to be used up somehow!
Mike, if ever you try that tomato pesto recipe you’ll have to give us your verdict on its flavor and consistency
Sophie, you’re like us, we only have pesto occasionally. But when we do we thoroughly enjoy the experience!
I’m going to have to try your version, but without the pine nuts (one of my kids is allergic)–I’ve had success using almonds instead or even just omitting the nuts, though of course it’s nicer with them.
Sage, we’ve had great results using different nuts with this pesto. Walnuts, pistachios, macadamias, almonds, or cashews all work really well.