What's your pesto recipe?

[Courtesy Flush]

We just made a couple of batches of pesto, and we're relying on a youtube video for our recipe. The chef said to be flexible, so we used walnuts and pumpkin seeds, as well as the usual stuff.

What's your best pesto advice? We still have tons of fresh basil in the garden!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9rQs2sQr2CQ

[AlCzervik]

1. i make pecan pesto.

i use about a pound of fresh baby spinach, a cup or so of basil leaves, about 1/2 or 3/4 cup of toasted pecan pieces, 1/2 cup romano cheese, Olive oil, depends on how big a batch but around 6 to 8 tablespoons and a few cloves of minced garlic.

[Courtesy Flush]

2. Sounds great

Pecans are plentiful here, too. Thanks.

[Gormy Cuss]

3. Not a recipe, but a suggestion.

While you have all of that basil in the garden, make pesto base by blending the leaves with some oil and garlic and throw it in the freezer. Long after you garden is a memory you'll be able to enjoy a batch of home made pesto -- thaw, add cheese and nuts etc. whenever the pesto mood strikes.
Freeze in containers or sandwich bags in about the amount you'd use for one batch.

Of course during the summer you'll want to just make it fresh. :D

[flvegan]

4. Miso lime pesto

Got from a magazine a few years ago:

* 1/2 cup pieced cashews
* Juice from 1 lime
* 1 cup packed fresh basil leaves
* 1 Tbs. barley or chickpea miso (mellow miso is better)
* 1 Tbs. olive oil

Chop basil finely, mix all ingredients, toss over pasta.

[AlCzervik]

6. cashews, i love them. Is miso easy to find?

[flvegan]

8. Any Wild Oats/Whole Foods type store will have a ton of it.

Likely near the hummus and stuff. Refrigerated section. Probably want a white miso, rather than a red.

[Carnea]

5. Go to store

Buy Pesto

[Heddi]

7. this is my recipe

don't have exact amounts, I just taste and add, but it's roughly this

Basil - a lot
Cilantro - 1/4 a bunch or so
Olive Oil - enough to make an emulsion
Parmesean Cheese - some
Walnuts or Almonds - a little less of an amount than the parm cheese
Salt & Pepper
Garlic - about 4 cloves, or more, depending on how much you're making

I put the cheese, nuts, garlic in the food processor and chop until it's just very fine powder.

Then I add the basil and cilantro and chop until it's very fine, then I slowly drizzle in olive oil until it's to the consistency that I want it to be. Then salt & pepper to taste.

The reason I don't measure is because we used to grow basil, and man! we produced SHITLOADS of basil. So we'd have about 3 brown plastic bags of basil every few weeks and would make huge batches at once, so measuring was out of the question (the original recipe I had produced about 2 cups of pesto). So I know how I like it, and just add to taste.

The good thing about making large batches of pesto is that it freezes SO WELL. You can put it in ice cube trays and freeze the cubes, or put it in a ziploc bag, press it flat and just break off what you want.

We still have about 20 ziploc baggies of pesto from last summer.....

[Courtesy Flush]

10. Looks like we're on the right track

But my wife adds yogurt, from a recipe she saw recently. Not bad, but I'd rather go more traditional. She thought the yogurt would keep it from turning brown, but it doesn't.

[lost-in-nj]

9. I use

1-800-olive-garden

I don't make pesto...



but I make stupid attempts at humor



:rofl:

:hi:



lost