Pesto question from a lurker

[Chovexani]

I'm a novice cook trying to learn as much as I can, and lurking around here has been great! I just have a question for y'all about pesto. I'm attempting to make it for the first time, but I'm allergic to pine nuts...and every pesto recipe I've seen calls for them or various other nuts, which I'm also allergic to. Can I omit them without it making a huge difference in the flavor? If not, is there a reasonably close substitute I can use?

Thanks in advance! I love this group.

[bearfan454]

1. I've never made it.

I think it's basil blended with olive oil, I think.

[Stinky The Clown]

2. Pine nuts are an essential part of pesto, and there's no substitute

If you have a broad spectrum nut allergy, then you'd do well to stay away from pesto.

Okay ... so what else can you make that is sorta like pesto, but doesn't use nuts?

How about olives? This would get closer to being a tapenade.

Try this ......

Pitted green olives - chop 'em up fairly fine, but not so fine they become a paste.

Basil - chopped fine. You might consider chopping them in a food processor, but be careful not to liquify it.

Garlic - chopped fine or even run through a garlic press.

Grated parmesan cheese.

Mix everything together, Add olive oil to make a paste with texture.

Salt and pepper to taste.

[Beaverhausen]

3. Don't some people use walnuts?

Pine nuts do add a distinctive flavor but still, it's really the basil, garlic and parmasean that make pesto, at least for me.

Have fun!!!

[Stinky The Clown]

5. Walnuts, hazelnuts, etc., are used, but in the OP, nut allergies are .....

..... an issue.

[The empressof all]

4. You can make it without the Pinenuts

I do it all the time. It's not the same but It's still yummy.

I love to mix it with cream cheese and butter as a spread for toasted Italian Bread. It's also wonderful on pasta.

[Beaverhausen]

10. yum! that sounds great!

[eleny]

6. Here's a recipe without the pine nuts

You got me curious and I found this recipe googling around

http://www.cdkitchen.com/recipes/recs/426/Pesto_without_Pine_Nuts12185.shtml

[wildeyed]

7. If you can't have nuts, I would just try it without and see if you like it

It won't be classic pesto, but it might still be good :)

[supernova]

8. Yes, you can make it w/o the pine nuts BUT

(or nuts in general), but the nuts give it body. I've seen walnuts used as a sub for pine nuts quite often.

You can mix basil, olive oil, and a little fresh garlic still, though.

Tapanade is a good alternative. Besides olives, you can also make versions using:

sun-dried tomatoes,
mushrooms
roasted peppers

edit: Here's a tapenade recipe search at Food Network.

http://web.foodnetwork.com/food/web/searchResults/0,7822,2,00.html?searchString=Tapenade&sortField=score&sortOrder=desc&searchType=Recipe

[wildeyed]

9. Mmmmm, I am bookmarking that search.

I love sun dried tomatoes and olives, too.

[youthere]

11. I'm a lurker too..

can you substitute sunflower seeds (assuming your allergies don't extend to seeds)? The taste is kind of similar, and if you pan roasted them in a little olive oil you might come pretty close.