hello, pesto

Since this year's garden is little more than a water-starved sand patch, I've had little use for a pesto recipe. Nothing a trip to Orlando's Vietnamese district, where a bag of pretty basil can be bought for $1, can't fix. Usually I make my pesto garlicky, but I just didn't feel like it this time. I know, I can't believe I just wrote that.

sunflower-basil pesto

1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds - get them at the health food store or Publix produce dept.
4 cups basil leaves, loosely packed
1/4 cup grated parmesan
1/2 cup olive oil, to start
salt and pepper

Toast the sunflower seeds in a hot, dry, cast iron pan just until they begin to brown, shaking the pan so they don't burn. Let the seeds cool.

Dump the cooled seeds into a food processor (mine's a little half-sized one and it fits all of this) and puree them a bit. Add the basil, cheese, and about 1/2 cup of olive oil and get to smooshing. Add oil as needed to keep everything moving around - I ended up adding what seemed like a ton of oil, but since I don't measure as I add, who knows?

When the pesto looks like something you could mix into pasta, give it a taste and add salt and pepper, maybe a pinch of chili if you want it.

Leave a bit of the cooking water on your pasta when you drain it, and add a bit of oil if the pesto still seems dry after you mix it in.

This batch made enough for two pounds of pasta, so I'll freeze the leftover half.

Comments

Unknown said…
Rose: one recipe I came across inspired by pesto on the Ligurian coast of Italy finishes the pesto with about a tablespoon of warmed butter. Yum yum. In addition to the traditional pine nuts, it also called for a quarter cup of walnuts for a little extra nuttiness. Beth pronounced it the best she's ever had :-)
librose said…
I really need to get to Italy.

Popular Posts