Pesto - the modern, liberated sauce with strong traditional ties

It's so fulfilling to make pesto at home. It’s real simple, uses just a few ingredients, takes less than ten minutes and always tastes fantastic. Packed with nutrient-rich leafy greens and toasted nuts, its vibrant color and crunch adds depth and beauty to plain pasta. I find the aromatic flavors work well with the nutty flavor of whole wheat pasta, which sometimes needs a stronger flavor than a tomato sauce.

The green pesto sauce commonly referred to as pesto is actually a type of pesto called pesto genevese. The sauce originated in Genoa in the Luria region of northern Italy and traditionally includes a crushed mixture offresh basil leaves, Parmesan-Reggiano or Romano cheese, extra virgin olive oil, pine nuts, garlic cloves and salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.  

Pesto is not so much a recipe but a process of grounding the ingredients in a circular motion with a wooden pestle and marble mortar. Perhaps you got a cute pestle & mortar as an engagement gift from Williams-Sonoma? I did and for years I used it to store my wedding rings while I washed the dishes. Now I know better. The English word pestle shares the same Latin root with pestu, the Genoese term for what we call pesto.

That is very liberating for pesto. That is why sun-dried tomato pestos are incredibly popular and equally tasty and attractive. Variations can also include spicy olives, Meyer lemon and wild mushrooms. Walnuts work well in pestos, I like to toast them first (same for any nut). I’ve also seen Hazelnuts, pecans and roasted almonds. As for the greens, any leafy green will do, and it’s a convenient way to use up the extra cilantro or kale you had to buy by the pound (and still have 15 ounces left).

Such was the case last week, when I had the entire Alan’s Orchard Fresh Box to myself for the second week in a row. That’s a lot of leafy greens to keep up with! I was making kale salads, pastas, tacos, you name it. So when I finally got around to roasting the gorgeous golden beets, I just couldn’t wilt with garlic one more time. I tried the beet greens as a pesto with walnuts and it was very flavorful. Alan’s Orchard also has a Romarsi basil pesto which is heavenly and does not contain nuts. If you get the Fresh Box and feel pressured to cook unfamiliar leafy greens, take heart – you can make pesto with any combination of basil, cilantro, parsley, kale, arugula, spinach, Swiss Chard and beet greens.

 

Now pesto knows no bounds, and is easily whipped together in a food processer in minutes.  A sauce whose name originated based on a set ingredient list and specific method of grinding with a pestle has entered the modern age. And its uses are as limitless as your imagination. Add to pasta with roasted veggies, or cubed fresh mozzarella and grape tomatoes. Brush on grilled shrimp skewers or grilled chicken. I particularly like sun-dried tomato pesto with grilled salmon, the strong tastes work well together. Mix it in to chicken salad instead of mayo or spread on a Ciabbata with sliced provolone to make a pesto panini. Or just spread on toasted baguette. Or stir it in to your next chicken or vegetable soup. This stuff is so versatile you can use it on anything, and whatever you don’t use you can freeze!

My nutritionist friend Susan Greeley cannot rave enough about beet greens! “It turns out they are even more nutrient-rich than the root, which is what we commonly eat.  Beet greens are a great source of calcium as well as magnesium, potassium, iron and quite a few B vitamins.  The roots are rich in potassium, and all together beets are really potent cancer & heart disease-preventive.”

Here are some recipes. Let me know how your pesto turns out!

Beet Green & Walnut Pesto

2 cups fresh beet greens, rinsed well and roughly chopped

½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

½ cup extra virgin olive oil

1/3 cup walnuts, toasted

2 garlic cloves, crushed

Salt & freshly ground pepper to taste

Pulse toasted nuts in a food processor a few times. Add the beet greens, pulse 4-5 times. Add the garlic and pulse a few more times. Through the opening on top, slowly drizzle olive oil into greens mixture while food processor is on low speed. Stop to scrape down the sides of the food processor with a rubber spatula. Add the grated cheese and pulse again until blended. Add a pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Sun-dried Tomato Pasta with Penne

Here’s an easy recipe from Giada. The recipe comes out better if you overemphasize words like pasta and reveal some cleavage. Get a big jar of sun-dried tomatoes in extra virgin olive oil at Shop Rite and store in a pantry to enjoy a long shelf life. This pesto works really well with grilled salmon, and Giada makes it with, you know it, pasta.

1 (8.5-ounce) jar sun-dried tomatoes packed in olive oil
2 garlic cloves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup (packed) fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan

Blend the sun-dried tomatoes and their oil, garlic, salt and pepper, to taste, and basil in a food processor and blend until the tomatoes are finely chopped. Transfer the tomato mixture to a large bowl. Stir in the Parmesan.