Pesto always reminds me of summer. The first time I made pesto was with my mother in Moorestown, New Jersey in the late 70s or early 80s. She grew basil in the garden. When it was ready to harvest, the only thing we could do with all of it was make pesto. We washed the basil leaves in a sink full of water, and made the pesto in our newest kitchen appliance- the food processor. It was the traditional recipe with basil, garlic, salt, pepper, parmesan, pine nuts and extra virgin olive oil.
There are a million and one ways to make pesto, and I like trying different ingredients- particularly when I don't have all of the usual ingredients on hand. No pine nuts? No problem! I used toasted hazelnuts. Not enough basil? No sweat! I used baby arugula with a small amount of leftotver basil and mint. Everything else was the same- salt, pepper, garlic, parmesan, and olive oil. This combination of ingredients was lovely. The sweetness of the hazelnuts worked well with the peppery arugula, and the other flavors hit all the right notes.
A success! Sorry there aren't specific amounts of each ingredient- I never measure when I'm making pesto, I just feel it. A little taste along the way helps, too. So, what's your favorite pesto recipe?
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