pesto. a summer delicacy. intensely green, intensely satisfying.
i remember my first experience with pesto. i thought it was GROSS. we were living in bexley, ohio, and my idea of a positive italian meal consisted of noodles swimming in butter or oil with a little cheese. naked. really, i loved the pasta, but clearly hadn’t developed a palate that appreciated any sort of sauce–no tomato, no bolognese, and especially no pesto. the color alone put me over the edge. but i remember my mom making it for my dad, and how papa duane crooned over it. i gave a very typical look of disgust and continued to shovel in the bland, bare noodles.
i am so glad my tastes have changed.
i came home from work last week with a bounty of basil and kale. and the kale keeps multiplying as i’m picking more from our garden outside. the verdant, lush, gorgeous greens of the basil and kale make me so warm and happy inside. with the glut, i decided pesto was the only logical thing to make.
my first batch was the basil pesto. this is classic, friends. i mean the flavor is so a powerfully delightfully basil. oh so rich, so elegant. smooth. graceful. it truly is summer. when i opened the food processor after pulsing the basil with the nut mixture, the aroma was so overwhelming i couldn’t help but do a dance of delight around my sunshiney, sweltering kitchen.
summer, it’s here!
the basil pesto is my favorite because it is the classic. the kale pesto is AMAZING, more intense in kale/garlic flavor, and i love it very much, too. enjoy smeared on bread, tossed on warm chickpeas, mixed with hot pasta, spread as a sauce on pizza, or by the spoonful. what’s your favorite way to eat pesto?
pesto
3 cups packed basil/kale (or a combo, or spinach!)
1/2 cup toasted almonds/pumpkin seeds/flax seeds (or pine nuts, but those are PRICEY!)
splash of lemon juice (for kale pesto)
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
3 garlic cloves (i used 2 garlic cloves and 1 garlic scape for each)
salt and pepper to taste
1. pulse basil/kale and nuts (and lemon juice, for kale) in food processor a few times.
2. add garlic, pulse again.
3. then turn the machine on, and slowly pour in olive oil as machine runs. scrape down sides to ensure all is combined.
4. add cheese, pulse until blended. add salt and pepper to taste.
ENJOY!
9 comments
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June 24, 2010 at 10:14 am
lyndasuelew
Yeay for kale & basil pesto!
YUMMY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
June 24, 2010 at 4:29 pm
delicatasunshine
you know it! ha talk about birds of a feather. love that we made this on the same weekend. much love.
June 24, 2010 at 10:42 pm
charlie
I’ve got some garlic scapes in the fridge that need to be used soon.. i think im going to try making some pesto out of em! have you ever made garlic scape pesto??
June 24, 2010 at 11:28 pm
delicatasunshine
IT IS SO GOOD! made it last year. didn’t reserve enough scapes for this year (grr). here is the recipe i based mine off of last year: http://doriegreenspan.com/2009/06/i-seem-to-be-on.html … let me know how it goes!
June 25, 2010 at 9:23 pm
Shawn
I love your way of embracing life through your passion for food and the bounty of the seasons! I feel inspired and grateful reading your post…many thanks.
June 26, 2010 at 12:23 am
delicatasunshine
many thanks to you dear friend! i miss you, hope your summer is going great! thought of you today as i went SUPER DIRTY to the book cadillac westin for the ussf… no trader joes, but the suits were looking at me mighty funny!
June 27, 2010 at 10:08 pm
Shawn
You are mighty welcome;)! You go girl (referring to the dirty clothes/Westin:)!! Think of you often; take good care.
July 15, 2010 at 4:57 pm
garlic scape escapades « delicata sunshine
[…] posting about my other two pestos (also DELISH), a friend asked me about garlic scape pesto. last year, i made some based off dorie […]
August 2, 2010 at 3:22 pm
pasta con peaches « delicata sunshine
[…] i, surprise surprise, encouraged this tradition with gusto. it was a great place to try out the basil, kale, and garlic scape pestos that tasted so light, summery, and GREEN earlier this season. i am happy […]