Herb/Vegetable Pesto
 

Did a quick search but didn't find anything, maybe elsewhere? Does anyone have a good recipe to share? Never thought I liked pesto until last summer and had some that was wonderful and getting that recipe. And how much basil do you need?

Can you use parsley and basil mixed?

I planted 15 green basil plants but I have seedling coming along. And found 4 pks of parsley for a quarter, curly and flat leaf. Love parsley.

As always, thanks in advance - piegirl

Piegirl - don't have recipes as such, but... I make pesto out of many herbs. Just whiz up herb, olive oil, salt & pepper, some type of nut (pine nuts, almonds, walnuts, pecans) and as much cheese (Parmesan or Pecorino) to your own taste and desired texture.

A couple of favourites are basil with pinenuts and parmesan, but even better is flat leaf parsley with toasted walnuts and feta cheese. If you are wanting to try with rosemary or oregano (strong tasting herbs), I would use less herb and more of the other ingredients. It's all to your own taste!

Sorry, forgot something tres important! Garlic! as much as you desire.
Oh, and three more words: garlic scape pesto...

I make it in a food processor fit with a metal blade. Try this (came from the Rodale food preserving cookbook)

Drop 6 peeled cloves of garlic into the running processor until finely chopped. Then, add 4 cups of loosely packed basil leaves - run the processor until finely chopped. Add 1 cup of pine nuts and 1 cup of Parmesan Reggiano cheese (this is top quality pesto!) - run the processor until it is well combined. now, with the processor running on slow, in a slow stream, add about 2 cups of olive oil (doesn't have to be super expensive extra virgin, but reasonably good quality) - it will form a nice green paste. You may need to use a spatula to scrape down the sides to ensure it all blends.

We then pour this into a 13 X 9 brownie pan, and make several more batches until the pan is nearly full...then freeze it. Using a pastry scraper or knife, one it freezes, it is easy to cut into "pesto brownies" - and pack them into freezer bags.

It freezes beautifully for at least a year, and we make 2-3 brownie pans-worth each late summer to get us through the year until the next harvest!

I make a parsley and basil mixed pesto, use a regular recipe for basil pesto half and half parsley/basil...pinenuts, use ground walnuts or toasted ground almonds.....parmesan cheese and garlic......

[quote=nctomatoman;174009]I make it in a food processor fit with a metal blade. Try this (came from the Rodale food preserving cookbook)

Drop 6 peeled cloves of garlic into the running processor until finely chopped. Then, add 4 cups of loosely packed basil leaves - run the processor until finely chopped. Add 1 cup of pine nuts and 1 cup of Parmesan Reggiano cheese (this is top quality pesto!) - run the processor until it is well combined. now, with the processor running on slow, in a slow stream, add about 2 cups of olive oil (doesn't have to be super expensive extra virgin, but reasonably good quality) - it will form a nice green paste. You may need to use a spatula to scrape down the sides to ensure it all blends.

We then pour this into a 13 X 9 brownie pan, and make several more batches until the pan is nearly full...then freeze it. Using a pastry scraper or knife, one it freezes, it is easy to cut into "pesto brownies" - and pack them into freezer bags.

It freezes beautifully for at least a year, and we make 2-3 brownie pans-worth each late summer to get us through the year until the next harvest![/quote]


I've never frozen the pesto, but his sounds great!:D

Just made my first pesto - the taste is fantastic. Hope we don't get frost the next several nights - think I have enough for several more batches. Made 2 1/2 batches - about a cup in each container. Will add the walnuts and cheese when thawed. Did one small batch w/ the nuts and cheese - knocked my socks off! So now I have to devoted more space for basil next year. Craig - about how many plants do put out each season? I found the seeds were quite slow to grow but found 4 packs at Westlake for a buck - each cell had several plants. piegirl

I have been making lots of Basil Pesto this year and love it.

[B][U]My Basic Recipe:[/U][/B]
3 1/2 cups pack Basil
4 large Cloves Garlic
3 - 4 tb pine nuts
1 cup Olive Oil
1 cup Parmesan Cheese
Salt
Pepper

Using food processor I pulse Basil, then add garlic and pulse, add pine nuts and pulse, slowly add oil while pulsing, then add cheese salt and pepper and pulse.

I cook up a lb of Angel Hair pasta and serve. I put the Pesto in a bowl and let everyone spoon their desired amount onto the pasta.


I have been using Genovese Basil myself, what kind of Basil is everyone else using?

Dean

Pesto
 

My recipe is close to Dean's with the following exceptions: I don't use any nuts (nut allergy in the family) and I don't put the cheese in until ready to serve. I find the pesto lasts longer if you hold off on the cheese.

PJ's Pesto:

4 cups packed fresh basil leaves
6 cloves of fresh garlic roughly chopped
2 turns around the food processor of EVOO ( Extra Virgin Olive Oil)
grated Parmesan cheese to taste

Put basil, garlic in Food Processor
Add EVOO
Pulse until everything is just chopped
Refrigerate
When ready to use, add as much cheese as you want:D


I also use Genovese basil, I just love the taste and smell of it!

PJ

Herb/Vegetable Pesto
 

someone gave me some pesto they made for me a week ago, maybe 10 days. with all the stuff from the garden i haven't eaten it. i know basil doesn't last long but in the mix with olive oil i suspect it would. i know most would say i eat it so fast i have no idea and normally i'd be in that boat too but ...

i'd hate to have it spoil, what the shelf live in the fridge?

tom

It doesn't last all that long in the fridge - it gets moldy. Freeze in small bags, then take it out when you need it.

thanks i better eat it tomorrow! it's so good i'd hate to lose it, prefer to not freeze it.

the problem is i have TOO much to eat. i've lost a lot of weight over the past 9 months and i won't gain it back so eating this stuff is getting to be tough not to mention i want to eat corn but i can't bring myself to buy more food. i'm giving some stuff away but every day there's more to harvest.

i gotta cut back on the number of plants of various vegetables, i say this every year and i have but i need to cut more. it's hard in spring when the garden is so large and empty, just a few extra of this and a few more of that and now it's like... what a jungle.

tom

Tom,

Freeze it. It works great. Because of the oil, it really doesn't solidify (like an ice cube). It thaws easily.

Gary

[B]Scallop and Pesto Salad[/B]

Pesto:
2 cups fresh basil leaves
2 to 3 medium garlic cloves
1 teaspoon salt
3 ounces toasted pine nuts
1 1/2 tablespoons grated Parmigiano cheese
3/4 to 1 cup olive oil

Salad:
1 pound sea or bay scallops
1 cup snow peas, sliced in 1/2 inch pieces
1 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in half, seeds removed
1 large zucchini, grated
whole lettuce leaves for serving

In a blender or food processor, chop basil with garlic and salt. When herbs are coarsely chopped, add pine nuts, cheese and 1/2 cup olive oil. Blend until all ingredients are minced, but don't allow them to puree.
Pour into mixing bowl and add remaining 1/4 to 1/2 cup oil, mixing well. Set aside.
Steam the scallops on a rack over boiling water for 6 minutes. Remove and refresh scallops under cold water. Drain well.
Put scallops, snow peas, cherry tomatoes and grated zucchini in a large bowl. Toss with 1/4 to 1/2 cup pesto, mixing gently until well combined.
Serve on a bed of lettuce on a large platter.
Save remaining pesto by putting in a jar with a few drops of olive oil on the top. Serves 4 to 6.

Hummus and Pesto Recipes

[url]http://groups.yahoo.com/group/hummus-and-pesto-recipes/[/url]

Hazelnut Basil Pesto
 

[B]Hazelnut Basil Pesto[/B]

2/3 cups hazelnuts
3 cups packed basil leaves
2 cloves garlic
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2/3 cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese
salt to taste

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Place hazelnuts in a pan and toast in oven until lightly browned, about 7 minutes.
Remove from oven and place nuts on a clean paper towel.
Fold towel over hazelnuts so they are completely enclosed, rub the towel back and forth to remove skin from hazelnuts.
Coarsely chop the hazelnuts.

In a food processor, add hazelnuts, basil, garlic and pepper, mix until finely chopped.
Scrape down sides with a spatula.

While processor is running, add oil through pour spout.
Add cheese and process until combined.
Salt to taste.

Serves 8.

Someone posted this link earlier today on another thread. I thought there were quite a few recipes in here I want to try.

[URL]http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/publications/guides/carver_tomato.html[/URL]