PESTO PESTO PESTO
It's not easy being green, or is it?
It’s already fall–I can’t believe it. That means I’m reaching for the last of summer’s bounty here in LA–ripe tomatoes, sweet corn, and definitely lots of basil. As Samantha Rogers advises, this time of year there is a surplus of basil. It’s the perfect time to batch out a bunch of pesto or basil oil–anything to help stretch summer and brighten any dish throughout the year.
Pesto can be made on a budget or a splurge. For this specific recipe, I got all of my ingredients from Trader Joe’s and spent under $50 (with lots of grated cheese and olive oil left over for the week). If I don’t feel like doing a grocery run, I tend to use whatever I have on hand. Don’t have pine nuts but have a bag of walnuts? Use them! Have some arugula in your fridge that needs to be used? Toss it in with the basil! Toasted or untoasted pine nuts? Both work! Toasting adds a layer of richness and increases the nuttiness and texture, while untoasted leaves the pine nuts more mild and a bit creamier when ground.
Although pesto is pretty simple in concept, requiring very few ingredients, there are variations that allow different pestos to take on different flavors and personalities. I love pesto served hot or cold. It’s also a foundation sauce you can build on or adapt to change. Carrot top pesto? Stinging nettle pesto? Sun dried tomato pesto? (I’ve heard sun dried tomatoes are making a comeback which I’m excited about).
Making a double batch of pesto is always a good idea. You can use it day of and then riff on it the next day for a different meal. Add it to a sandwich or some roasted potatoes. Underneath a piece of salmon or chicken, or in a vegetable soup. You can refrigerate for about a week or freeze for another day.
INGREDIENTS:
DIRECTIONS:
Start by toasting your pine nuts. The art of toasting pine nuts is to baby them. All ovens are different. In my case, the right side of my oven burns hotter than the left. Pay attention and set timers. They are delicate and expensive so I get so mad at myself every time I smell that terrible burnt pine nut scent in the air…if you know you know. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Lay the pine nuts out on a sheet tray in a single layer and start toasting with 7 minute increments. At each 7 minute increment, remove the tray of pine nuts to toss and shake on the tray to rotate for an even toast. Once they’re golden and smell toasty, remove and allow them to cool.
Measure out all of your ingredients before you begin so you can combine easily using a blender or Vitamix. For this pesto, I prefer a Vitamix as it creates a smoother, unified sauce while a blender or food processor may leave the texture of the pesto a bit chunky and speckled (still delicious though).
In the Vitamix, first add the lemon juice to help keep the basil from oxidizing–we want it to retain its bright green color. Next, add half of each ingredient to the vessel and blend until roughly combined. Add the rest of your measured ingredients and blend until smooth. Start blending on the lowest setting and increase to high–as seen in this video below. I like to stream the olive oil from the top as the sauce blends. If packed too densely, your blade can overheat and stop blending. To avoid this, turn the blender off occasionally and rotate your ingredients to allow some more olive oil to get to the blade.
Once the pesto is smooth and unified, pour into a storage container and cover the top with olive oil until ready to use. This helps prevent more oxidation.
IF SERVING WITH PASTA
A quick note on heat! When pesto is heated it may lose some of its color. There are a lot of chef tricks to help with this BUT in the interest of keeping things quick and easy, I like to add the cooked pasta and some pasta water together in a big bowl to coat the noodles in seasoned starchy pasta water, then, OFF of the heat, add pasta and pasta water one small ladle at a time. (I usually add about 2-3 1oz ladles of hot pasta water). Add a bit more parmesan cheese to bring it all together and coat the pasta evenly to get your sauce silky and emulsified.
Serve on your favorite platter or big bowl and enjoy with a dusting of parmesan cheese.
Enjoy!
Coco