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Presto Pesto

July 8th
2007

Pesto is…in a word…deep. Why deep? There are so many flavors happening at once.

Separately, the basil, garlic, Parm and olive oil have their own powerful flavors, but when they’re blended together they become something else all together.

It may be hard to believe, but we try to pack even more flavor into this pesto by toasting the pine nuts (an ingredient at the epicenter of this traditional dish).

In a dry pan, I toast the pine nuts over high heat until they turn brown (be careful here because the nuts can burn quickly).

After they’re nice and brauned, the pine nuts change from plain janes to nutty, rich pods of taste-tastic-ness.

I’m especially pleased with my pine nut pics, so check them out on my Flickr account.

Here’s the recipe (courtesy of Giada’s Family Dinners):

  • 2 cups firmly packed basil
  • 1/2 cup freshly grated Parm
  • 2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil (approx)
  • 1/4 cup pine nuts (toasted)
  • 1/2 tsp. Kosher salt
  • 1/4 tsp. black pepper
  • 1 garlic clove

Later tonight we’re making pesto-crusted trout. Stay tuned! bk

5 Responses to “Presto Pesto”

  • I was just pondering pesto, since I recently acquired two large bunches of it. This sounds perfect!

    Posted by kristan on July 8th, 2007 at 8:53 pm

  • Buddy, Lord knows what is “Parm”.
    You should use exclusively “Parmigiano Reggiano” cheese, not stuff made in Transilvania…
    Also, I can see you are using small, cheap pine nuts (mostly from China).
    Use instead long pine nuts (twice as long), coming from the Mediterranean, as they pack a wallop of flavour.
    Finally, pepper in pesto is a very bad idea, and you forgot to add some pecorino (sheep) cheese.
    Pecorino to Parmigiano relationship: 1 to 4.
    When putting the pecorino, you may dispense with the salt, kosher or whatever…

    Cheers,

    Massimo (stumbled upon your blog)

    Posted by Massimo on July 8th, 2007 at 8:59 pm

  • Mass-

    Thanks so much for the feedback! These are great ideas, and I’m hungry for ideas that can make me a better cook (blogger). I will totally take your recommendations and use them the next time I make pesto (which will probably be next week). Look for an update soon.

    I’m totally with you on the Parmigiano Reggiano, it’s all I buy. I never use the cheap stuff. bk

    Posted by Blake on July 8th, 2007 at 10:14 pm

  • BTW, I meant I acquired two large bunches of basil. Oops!

    Posted by kristan on July 9th, 2007 at 12:09 am

  • I have way too much in my garden if you wanted some basil by mail! lol! bk

    Posted by Blake on July 9th, 2007 at 2:31 am

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