Hand-Cut Italian Pesto
Here is a wonderful, highly functional recipe for singles and couples… Hand-Cut Pesto! This is my own recipe, which has evolved through several attempts (read: FAILURES). I always wondered what “Pesto” is; From Dictionary.com, Pesto is a noun:
a sauce typically made with basil, pine nuts, olive oil, and grated Parmesan blended together and served hot or cold over pasta, fish, or meat.
Origin:
1935–40; Upper It (cf. Genoese dial. pésto pesto), It: n. deriv. of pestare to pound, crush; see piste, pestle
INGREDIENTS
- ½ Cup Basil, cleaned and minced
- 2 cloves Garlic, minced
- Large Handful of Pine Nuts
- 1 Cup Parmesan, grated
- 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
- Salt to taste
SERVES 2
DIRECTIONS
Start by cleaning and drying the basil. All herbs should be well-cleaned to remove all dirt.
Once cleaned and dried, take about half of the basil and place it in the center of your cutting board. Using a Mezzaluna
knife (or you may imitate the Mezzaluna
Continue adding-and-chopping the Basil, Pine Nuts, Parmesan and Garlic together, until you create a wet mound. Once you can easily lift the whole lot by scraping your knife underneath, do so and place it in a small bowl. Add the Olive Oil and mix with a fork. Salt to taste.
Chill for at least an hour, and then stir to re-integrate the ingredients. Your Pesto Sauce is ready to go!
PHOTO GALLERY
SUMMARY & REVIEW
This is pretty darned tasty. It’s a Zen recipe, as you are slowly cutting everything by hand, as opposed to dropping it all into a blender and hitting, “ZAP!”
As you can see, there is very little Olive Oil, so this is a fairly ‘dry’ sauce. Don’t hesitate to add more oil as your taste and later uses require.
Despite the hand-cut nature of the recipe, prep time is negligible… only about 20 minutes from start to finish! It is ideal for Pasta, sandwiches or just as a dipping sauce to accompany a warm baguette.
Perhaps the best thing about this recipe is its flexibility; leftovers can be stored for several days in the fridge, and it adds pop to just about anything (presuming you are a Basil-head like myself).
My only complaint about Pesto is the cost of Pine Nuts… TERRIBLY expensive! The first bag I bought ran me a cool $12… which hurt my soul (Author’s Note: Reader Behan notes that Trader Joe’s sells Pine Nuts for lower prices). Cost aside, Pesto is delicious and this is a solid recipe.
this looks awesome.
try Trader Joe’s for pine nuts that won’t hurt the soul quite so much. OK, considering they are probably imported from China, they might hurt your soul (or carbon sensitivity) a little- but the wallet is spared!
Good to know. Thanks you. Even at the Farmer’s Market, Pine Nuts are super expensive. I will definitely check out Trader Joe’s!
I love me some Pesto! This looks awesome, I wouldn’t change a thing in this recipe (beyond adding more oil for my personal servings, but leaving that option to the individual is the right call).
PS – Last time I bought Pine Nuts at TJ’s I think they ran about $4 for a 6 or 8 oz. bag.
I love that it’s a Zen recipe. A food processor a nice thing to have, but there’s something about doing it by hand that can’t be beat. You can usually taste the love a little better. I suggest pistachios as an option to replace the pine nuts, can save a few dollers… and they’re green. Although it may take a little aggression to pound the pistachios into small enough pieces. Wrap in a tea towel (out of the shell), and give ‘em a good wack… a frying pan ‘ll do the trick. And, as I was reading about the Spinach Salad and the quesadillas… the thought of using this recipe with cilantro instead of basil came to mind… hmmmmm. The options seem endless.