Pesto recipes

I know I could look on the internet but I want a personally tried recipe for pesto. Anybody got one? Don_rina Im looking your way

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Knock yourself out.

ps. I thought it was ONLY pine nuts, no other kind. But there you go.

You mean from scratch? or
Normally I just get it from a jar.
Put about haf a small jar in a pot, add a little of the water (about a small espresso worth (i dont have a measuring jug)) you used to cook the pasta in and add a clove of garlic. Mixing them till it is a cosistent mix. Add some salt, peeper and then the pasta. Add parmesan to finish and bobs your uncle!

it should be pine nuts - the nice people of genoa would go bananas if they saw a pesto recipe with walnuts

Ooh, ooh...contacting the ex-bf...he's got a couple great pesto recipes, including a nice artichoke pesto. Mmm. [img]http://community.the-underdogs.org/smiley/happy/lickout.gif[/img]

Oooh the artichoke one sounds awesome...

Already emailed him, just waiting for reply...

Here's his reply:


I suppose you can start from there and do a little experimenting...

A big pot of fresh basil (about 50g worth, just leaves not stems), 1+ clove of garlic (crushed/mashed), about a tablespoon of pine nuts (I toast mine first but you probably don't need to), pinch of salt and about 6 tablespoons of olive oil (something decent but not your best extra virgin stuff - you won't get the taste benefit due to the other flavours, you want to taste basil not oil). Plus about a tablespoon of freshly grated Parmesan or even better Pecorino.
Either mash everything but the oil and cheese in a mortar and pestle to a pulp then drizzle in the oil and then stir in the cheese.
Or stick everything but the oil and cheese in a blender, puree then pour the oil slowly through the hole in the blender lid until it is the right consistency. Then stir in the cheese.
Lidl currently stocks two types of Pecorino cheese - the real stuff (it has the official stamps on) as well as Parmesan wedges (also with the official badges), stuff lasts for ages (and freezes well grated) so give it a whirl because it isn't that dear really.
If you must buy the jars, probably the nicest is Bertolli, I like that when you read the side of their jars that you can recognise all of the ingredients.

Thanks Katrina

I wanted recipes not jar brands. Thanks everyone.

Take Katrina's base recipe and add sun dried tomatos which do need to be ground or substitute the basil for roasted eggplant or roasted bell peppers.
For a little extra to the basic recipe, you could also add a dill pickle, which actually tastes pretty good.

Those are nice ideas.
Here's a couple more:
Rocket/rucola/arugula also tastes nice instead of the basil (but might need a pinch of sugar if you're not using the small young leaves, it can be extremely bitter), Bärlauch (wild garlic) also makes a nice, if stinky, one.
Glad I've had breakfast because I'd be eating the table otherwise

Ha-ha

@perdido

If you want to do the Bärlauch(ramson) one however, use sunflower seeds instead of pine. You can also toast them prior to processing. Otherwise use the same ingredients, but take a neutral oil. Olive oil will be too overpowering, garlic should be used very sparingly as Bärlauch tastes of garlic.

I was gonna write almost exactly that. Rocket is well nice.

If you are gonna go to the bother to make fresh pesto, use a pestle and mortar. Better flavour, and more fun. I personally like to get uppity at the idea of using a food processor (Katrina )

Katrina's recipe is pretty much what I do, but I like to add some butter to the finished pesto. Just beat some room temp butter into the pesto. Tastes very good.

If you are using pesto from a jar, its always too thick. Use some of the pasta cooking water to dilute it a bit before adding to your pasta or whatever.

Classic serving would be serving the pesto on fettucine with new potatoes and green beans. Boil the potatoes, skin on, then slice. Top n tail the beans, and cook briefly in boiling water, but don't overcook. Toss pasta, pesto, potatoes and beans together. If you get really good new potatoes and fresh fresh beans, this is quite wicked, however ridiculously simplistic it sounds.

Was trying to make it a bit more "inclusive" don *looks at floor*
I like the agression release of a pestle and mortar

Classic ...all of it...

@don_rina that peanut sauce recipe was kick a§§ .