This is a repost!!
It’s summer time and the basil is flourishing and it’s time to make your pesto, so I wanted to share this post, and the recipes with you again and offer it to my newest followers and readers.
It’s summer time and the basil is flourishing and it’s time to make your pesto, so I wanted to share this post, and the recipes with you again and offer it to my newest followers and readers.
There are many, many recipes for pesto sauce and, if you make it often, you probably have it down to a quick, memorized refrain. Right?
But have you thought of experimenting?
Years ago I was given a pesto sauce recipe from a colleague in the design studio where I worked. I was new to pesto (I know, amazing, right?). She swore by this one and said it was really unique.
Here is her recipe as I wrote it way back when.
Ginny’s Pesto
2 cups basil
1/2 c. sweet vermouth
1 clove garlic
3/4 tsp. tabasco
3 tbl. white vinegar or white wine
2 tsp. Worcestershire
1/2 c. olive oil
Put the basil, vermouth & garlic in blender/Cuisinart. Mix the other ingredients and add.
Pretty simple, no? Well, I don’t like Worcestershire at all, and I never like spice/hot i.e. Tabasco so I tried a variation of it.
Libby’s Pesto
2 cups (at least!) basil leaves
1/4 to 1/2 c. sweet vermouth
2 large cloves garlic
1/2 c. toasted pine nuts
1/2 c. olive oil
Put everything together in Cuisinart.
Be sure to toast the pine nuts!
I don’t add cheese until we are at the table: personal preference.
The vermouth adds a sweetness to this AND the final product is creamier and not so oily.
This is it, with the lightly toasted pine nuts, ready to go for a whirl in the Cuisinart.
The finished product, ready to be served:
I had almonds in the kitchen, and with another two cups of basil, I tried this variation.
Ready to go:
And here it is. We found that the main difference is in the texture. The almond version is much grainier and not as smooth. Neither is better or worse…just different.
Do you have any unusual pesto recipe?
Pesto is one of those things I’ve never warmed up to. I like it in small doses, but find it overpowers other flavours. However I do make some each year to keep in the freezer frozen in an ice cube tray and then stored. When I want to add some to a recipe, I just pop in one of the cubes.
I’ve made it with walnuts – gives a nuttier flavour, but grainy like the almond version. Never thought of adding vermouth – I’ll try that.
Heather @ new house new home recently posted…Painted Furniture: Clock Face Table
The secret of making good pasta with pesto is to use enough of the water from cooking the pasta to coat the spaghetti or if traditionally Genovese with trennete. Here’s a link to my recipe: https://buonaforchetta.wordpress.com/recipes/primi/trenette-with-pesto/
Christina (my hesperides garden), buona forchetta was my food blog but I don’t add to it any more.
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Thanks Christina! You know, I always forget about using the pasta water but you are so right.
I’m wondering if you ever got my email of early July?? I’ll write you again, as we’re in the midst of making plans for Rome!
Looks delicious and healthy! I love pesto
Great! Thanks for sharing. It looks amazing in the photos, hope it tastes the same way!
LOOKS DIVINE but MY ITALIAN would NEVER put the VERMOUTH IN nor the TABASCO, or the W sauce nor would he toast the pine nuts.But as I said looks DELICIOUS!
LA CONTESSA recently posted…THE MAKING of PESTO