Many of us, no doubt, are already familiar with this famous Italian condiment, thanks to Carmichael's made-to-order pasta nights. But did you know that the seemingly exotic and complex pesto is one of the easiest, most delicious things you can whip up right in your dorm room?
Pesto originated in Genoa, Italy. Though we are familiar with its basil-based incarnation, pesto refers generally to any condiment made by pounding ingredients together into a smooth paste. The word "pesto" is simply a shorthand version of the Italian for "pestle," as in mortar and pestle, the traditional tools for making this wonderful condiment.
The traditional method for producing pesto was quite a long, painstaking process. First, one would finely chop, by hand, the hard ingredients using a curved, double-handled knife called a mezzaluna. Then, one would add the herbs and oil and pound the mixture into a smooth paste. The whole process could take over an hour of muscle-cramping work.
Today, this is no longer so, thanks to the invention of the blender or food processor. Of course, many culinary purists today mourn this very fact. Perhaps something was lost when a process which once took hours of loving work can now be accomplished in two noisy minutes by a mechanical blade.
The parable of technology efficiently dispatching any sense of romance is, unfortunately, so common for food traditions around the globe that it has practically become a clich?©. On the other hand, modern technology has made it far more possible for, say, the average college student to experiment and make his/her own homemade, customized pesto. So if you can swallow that sense of guilt, let's talk about how to get cooking!
The classic Genoese pesto formula involves five basic types of ingredients: nuts, herbs, cheese, oil and garlic. The most popular kind uses basil, pine nuts, Parmesan or Romano cheese and extra virgin olive oil. Of course, many variations exist, and many Italian chefs pride themselves on their own unique, signature recipes. If the fancy strikes you, definitely experiment with variations on the five ingredients in the Genoese formula.
For nuts, you might try walnuts, hazelnuts or almonds. For oil, consider flavored oils such as walnut or raspberry oils. Though almost every pesto recipe will involve garlic, you can vary the amount of garlic for different effects, or you might try replacing it with garlic chives or shallots for a more delicate flavor. The limit is your imagination. (Or perhaps the noise tolerance of your roommate, but in the name of food, whatever, man.)
If you'd like to start with the popular basil approach, which I introduce below, that's fine, too.
Classic Genoese Pesto
Ingredients:3 cups fresh basil leaves (just lightly scrunch them into a measuring cup to measure)? cup extra virgin olive oil1/3 cup pine nuts2 medium garlic cloves? cup grated Parmesan cheese1 teaspoon saltpepper, to taste
Note: This doesn't actually involve any cooking (i.e. adding heat), so be sure to use the best quality ingredients you can find. Dish out the extra few dollars for imported Italian Parmesan and olive oil if you can afford to. Even speaking as a money-tight art student, I contend that the difference is noticeable and worth it.
1) Put everything in a blender. Start with low speed, then increase to high speed until mixture is smooth. Makes about one cup of basil pesto.
2) To store, place in an airtight container (like a jar or Tupperware box) and top with a quarter inch of olive oil (the oil helps it keep fresh). Purists say to eat it all within a week, but in my experience, it will store about a month in the fridge. You can also freeze pesto in an ice cube tray for long-term storage; it will stay yummy for months.
Now that you've got all this delicious pesto, here are some suggestions for how to use it:
* The classic pesto solution: pasta. Italians often add a small ladle of cooking water to the pesto before tossing. This trick dilutes the dense sauce and distributes it more evenly over the pasta.
* Saut?© some slices of chicken breast or peeled, deveined shrimp in olive oil and season with pesto.
* Make a pesto omelet: mushrooms, cheese and a dollop of pesto will surely spiff up that typical morning fare.
* Ever been to Au Bon Pain and tossed $7 for a mozzarella sandwich? Try making it yourself. Get a portion of French bread, halve it, spread pesto on both sides and add some tomato and mozzarella slices. For $7 at the grocery store, you could make about 4 of these sandwiches.
* Stir a swirl into your next cream-of-anything or vegetable soup.
* Put it on crackers. Instant snack!
* Make pseudo-bruschetta! Get some slices of bread and spread pesto on top. Toast in a toaster oven (or broil in the dorm ovens for a few minutes).
Buon appetito!
