Making Pesto with Presto

Today I made pesto to prepare for a weekend meal. My friend who is dining with me is 100% Italian and she is EXTREMELY PROUD of that. Guess what? She LOVES my pesto and has told her Italian family members that my pesto is soooo delicious! I consider that to be a humbling compliment considering that the last time I checked... my mutt blend does not include a single drop of the Italian blood. *grin*

When I traveled to Italy and France several times, I would die for their pesto. The Provence region of France makes great soupe au pistou (translated into pesto soup). The emphasis was on the flavors rather than the oil. Here... I see pesto in American looking like mostly oil with a pinch of herbs.

Pesto is simple to make... the general formula: Something green, good quality oil, garlic (or something spicy), cheese, nut, something sour (vinegar or citrus), and salt.

Varieties:
-Something green- may be used alone or in combinations: Basil (of course!), parsley, cilantro, mint, dill, sage, argula (yes it's not a herb but it has a distinctive flavor that makes it a great pesto)
-Oil: Extra virgin olive oil, sesame oil
-Garlic alternatives: Shallots, serrano pepper
-Cheese: Parmesan, Romano, Asiago, Goat, Kashkaval (Romanian), Cotija (Mexican)
-Nut: Pine nuts, pinons, walnuts, peanuts, pecans, sunflower seeds, almonds
-Something sour: Lemon juice, lime juice, champagne vinegar, red wine vinegar
-Salt: I swear by my kosher sea salt!

The most important thing to remember- make sure to be careful when adding oil because you do not want the pesto to be too oily. I put tablespoonfuls of pesto on a piece of wax paper and put them in the freezer for an hour. After an hour, I put the pesto tablespoonfuls in a container to be used for future meals. One tablespoon= one serving. Some people use the ice trays- that's another way to do it.

Now... what do I use pesto for? Oh... the possibilities are endless! The common use is to mix it with pasta but I have used pesto as sauce for fish or chicken, in soups (like soupe au pistou), in pasta or bread dough, to make spreads for crackers/ bread, mix with fresh vegetables to be grilled, as a base for making salad dressings, etc etc!

As you can see, you can get quite creative following the formula listed above. Have fun!