It’s the end of summer here in Australia. It’s basil season. We’ve watched the Northern hemisphere with their record breaking snowfalls, their Snowcalypse, their winter Olympics and we’ve smiled, a little smugly perhaps, and picked basil.
My smugness has gone. I forgot to take into account my ability to make it rain when I entertain. Last night I was supposed to be hosting a cocktail party. The plan was for cocktails and nibbles, then people would go off and feed themselves dinner. Except that shortly after people arrived… Well, I can’t even call it hail. Ice chunks the size of golf balls fell from the sky, roads were flooded and the traffic was gridlocked. No one was going anywhere. With no takeaways delivering or close enough to be walkable, the cocktails nibbles long gone, suddenly we had to find dinner for eighteen relying only the store cupboard and the balcony of herbs. Pasta with pesto! It’s not exactly an entertainer’s meal but I think it was acceptable given the siege conditions. No one complained, fortunately the alcohol was still flowing as freely as the rain.
Basil Pesto
Three cups Basil leaves, washed and dried ( At least one large bunch if using shop bought)
1/3 cup pine nuts
1 clove garlic, freshly grated or chopped finely
1/2 cup olive oil
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
Salt and pepper, to taste
1. Using a food processor blend together basil leaves and pine nuts, scraping down the sides to make sure everything gets chopped up.
2. With processor motor still on, slowly add in oil.
3. Add the cheese and blend well.
4. Taste for salt, pepper etc. Pesto is very individual, this recipe makes for a strongly basil tasting pesto. If you’d prefer yours to taste more cheesy or nutty, adjust proportions to your taste.
Stirring pesto through pasta is simple but there are so many other uses for it. I thought I’d use this post to share a few suggestions from some of my favourite sites around the blogosphere.
For a glamorous breakfast look no further than the Baked eggs and Bacon with Pesto at 5 second rule
Heidi of 101 cookbooks serves a celery version drizzled over a soup to make a perfect lunchtime meal.
Feel like baking? There is a Courgette, goat’s cheese and Pesto breadat the British Larder that somehow manages to look both glamorous and rustic simultaneously.
For something a little simpler, how about a pizza with pesto and sundried tomatoes from a cozy kitchen?
Since we’re on the topic of cocktail parties, why not try a pesto based canape with a meat or vegetarian option from Fury and the Feast?
For a simple supper, try stonesoup’s Baked Eggplant with tomato and Pesto
If it has to be pasta with pesto, it can still be made exotic with purple potatoes and peas from Cook Almost anything,
or by substituting the pasta for homemade potato gnocchi at The dinner files
And finally, an almost too beautiful to eat interpretation of the Insalata Caprese from La Tartine Gourmand
There are a million different variations under the broad pesto theme, I’d love to know what your favourite pesto is, and how you use it.
Thanks for linking, Heather. I’m bookmarking this post for all your other ideas, too, because I have an 8-year-old who think pesto is seriously the Best Food on Earth — better than cookies, candy, ice cream. His idea of a good time is helping me make a double batch, and let’s be honest: that’s a lot of pesto.
Thanks Cheryl. You’ve got a smart 8 year old. You can never have too much pesto but perhaps you should test out the basil ice cream, the best of both worlds!
Last time I made pesto I really cut back on the olive oil. I was being a bit health conscious. It turned out really well and I couldn’t tell the difference from normal pesto.
That’s a good tip, I’ll give it a go next time.