I love pesto. Look at that gorgeous green, how can anyone resist it? During our courtship, fresh pesto (usually my mother's) was just about the only thing that could be found in my fridge, and pasta was the only thing in my pantry. When we got engaged, Rohan joked that he looked forward to a lifetime of eating pesto with pasta. I think he is enjoying, literally, eating his words. I still always have pesto on hand. I use it as a condiment; on sandwiches, in burgers, in anything I can add some to. My love for pesto started when I was very young, in the 80's, when my mother was the only woman on the street making "green pasta" and pronouncing it "baasel, not bayzil". She can make fresh pesto with her eyes closed. I had not made pesto in a very long time and was craving some* with pasta over the weekend. While the store bought is good when slathering on a burger, nothing can compare to freshly made pesto with linguini. We are growing basil but so far it has only been enough to add to sauces or pizza so I grabbed two massive bundles of basil at the farmer's market. The portions never need to be precise when blending pesto, but here are the ingredients I always use:
basil
olive oil
fresh lemon juice
fresh garlic
salt, pepper
parmesan cheese
toasted pine nuts
If I don't have pine nuts I'll use any nuts I have on hand, which is usually walnuts. I've recently been buying Trader Joe's pine nuts as they come pre-toasted. While the flavor may not be as deep I have accidently over toasted pine nuts a few times and love the convenience and the price. I love my pesto super garlicky, and usually use at least four cloves. If you want it spicy, add some chili. When I'm feeling really ambitious, I'll shred fresh parmigiano reggiano cheese but if you are making a lot of pesto you need a lot of cheese and the pre-shredded parmesan works fine for me. My mother adds some butter which gives a nice creaminess to the pesto. In the end, the portions are up to you and the quality of the ingredients are up to you. A true gourmet may scoff at anything but a mortar and pestle, but a cuisinart is my tool of choice.
*This is the picture that inspired me. I came across it while going through our honeymoon pictures on an old laptop. It was quite possibly the best pesto with pasta I've ever had. Alain Ducasse, a Michelin star chef, has a restaurant at the One and Only in Mauritius where we stayed. Spoon des Iles. Just the mention of that restaurant makes me go mmmm. The pillows of fresh pasta with the perfect pesto were incredible. We ate at the resturant twice and both times I ordered it, as my appetizer. Don't judge, I didn't have any more bridal outfits to fit in to.
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