I learnt making Pesto long back and for a very long time, I restricted to the traditional basil pesto with pine nuts. Then I moved from pine nuts to walnuts. We eat Pesto a lot and I figured using walnut will be a much better budget friendly option than pine nuts. Soon I realized that this particular green goddess doesn’t need a strict recipe and we can play around with the greens any way we like. So, I started making pesto more often and with several different kind of greens I can find my hands on.
Homemade Pesto
Making Pesto is so easy and quick that you shouldn’t really rely on the store-bought ones. Make it fresh in small batches. You can definitely make a big batch and freeze it too in ice tray.
What is Pesto?
It is one of the most famous sauce from Genoa, Italy. Its name to the Italian word “pestare,” which means “to crush or pound.” A great article to learn where it all started! The traditional way of making pesto is to pound the pine nuts, with basil with a clove of garlic, extra virgin olive oil and parmesan cheese. Some even prefers to just finely chop instead using a very sharp knife. The modern way is of course by using a food processor or a blender.
What Greens I used for my Homemade Pesto
I used all kind of greens from my garden:
SageCilantroBaby KaleArugulaBasilSpinachNasturtium
Other Ingredients:
WalnutParmesan cheeseExtra Virgin Olive Oilgarlic clovesaltLemon juice
Texture of Homemade Pesto
I personally don’t use a blender as it makes the texture too smooth. We like the texture to be a little course and ideally that is how it should be, so it holds only to the pasta and gnocchi or bread. I always use lemon juice to Pesto as it helps to retain the gorgeous green color for days.
Storing Homemade Pesto
I always make pesto in big bulk and store it in the fridge or refrigerator. Store in a glass container if you are storing in the fridge. It will last for couple weeks. If you want to store it longer, then store in a zip punch or freeze in ice tray and then one frozen, store the cubes in the zip pouch.
10 ways to use Pesto
Pasta - The most obvious and popular way to use pestoRisottoGnocchiLayer on grilled meat or fishMarinate chicken with pesto and grillUse in Bread - Try this very delicious Pesto Pull Apart Bread Use in FocacciaAs Pizza sauce Toss in your potato salad or any other salad dressingAdd on your breakfast toast
These are just the few, and I use sure there are endless interesting ways you can use this amazing Italian sauce. Making Pesto is so easy and quick that I never buy store bought. It is one of the most commonly used condiments in my house, and we all love it, both traditional and non-traditional way.
