Pesto can basically be made with any nut or combination of nuts, some garlic, olive oil, and either Parmigiano-Reggiano or Pecorino-Romano or a combination of the two cheeses. Pesto can include sun-dried tomatoes or red peppers.

Recipe List

• Lee's Pesto
• Pesto alla Genovese
• Pesto alla Calabrese
• Sage Walnut Pesto
• Sage Pesto (21)
• Rosemary Pesto (20)
• Winter Thyme Pesto (33)
• Winter Kale Pesto (34)
• Low Fat Pesto
• Artichoke Pesto
• Red Basil Pesto (with Sun-Dried Tomatoes)
• Lemon Pesto
• Green Bean Sage Pesto Pasta Sauce (54)
• Fresh Shiitake and Sage Pasta Sauce (34)
• Mark Bittman's Sun Dried Tomato Pesto from Liguria
• Walnut Red Pepper Pesto from Marilyn Jeanne
• Pesto with Lemon and Red Pepper Flakes
• Sun-dried Tomatoes - Make your own
• Cilantro Pesto
• Cilantro Chipotle Pesto
• Spaghetti Alla Trapanese
• Linguine con Salsa Sophia a Neapolitan parsley pesto with anchovies, olives, and capers
• Walnut or Hazelnut Pesto
• Heidi Swanson's Walnut Pasta
• Michael Chiarello's Basil Oil Pesto
• Cranberry Pistachio Pesto
• Pistachio Pesto
• Pasta with Macadamia Basil and Parmesan
• Thai Coriander Pesto (for Steak)
• ~~~
• Baked Chicken Pesto
• Pesto-Stuffed Chicken Breasts
• Baked Sole with Pesto Sauce (106)
• Mussel Soup with Basil Pesto

 

Lee's Pesto

2-3 peeled roughly chopped garlic cloves

2 cups nice fresh basil leaves, clean, gently towel dried, tough stems discarded

handful pinoli nuts*

1/4 cup good olive oil

1/8 - 1/4 cup grated Parmesan**

salt to taste not too much

For good pesto you must go to Genoa or learn to make it yourself. The secret is to not over process. Everything except garlic should be bitey rather than the mush they sell in deli departments.

Cut off some pieces of Parmesan and process in blender to grate nicely. Set aside.

Put garlic in food processor. Whirl briefly. Add pinoli. Whirl very briefly...like one twirl. Add basil and whirl briefly to chop into fairly large pieces. Now process briefly and pour oil through spout at same time. Stop often to check that it is not becoming mush. You are pulsing. Mix in your grated Parmesan cheese by hand.

Note: Proportions of oil, basil, garlic and pinoli can vary according to your taste. The technique of blending and the quality of nice fresh basil is what is important.

*buy pinoli (pine nuts in English) in bulk from MiddleEastern grocers or in Boston's North End NOT in jar$ from $upermarket$

**(buy in North End) or on sale in supermarket domestic ok (if imported get Reggiano)

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-Lee's Recipes - Pasta - Lee's Pesto - Low Fat - Artichoke - Lemon - Sun Dried - Walnut Red Pepper - With Lemon and Red Pepper Flakes -

Low Fat Pesto

2 cups chopped fresh basil leaves
1 cup chopped flat leaf parsley
1/4 cup toasted breadcrumbs
2 cloves minced garlic
3 Tbs. light miso
1/4 to 1/3 cup water
2 Tbs. grated fatfree Parmesan - optional

In food processor, combine everything except water. Pulse till finely minced. With machine running, slowly add water until pesto reaches desired consistency.

(adapted from Vegetarian Times) Serves 6

- Lee's Recipes - Pasta - Lee's Pesto - Low Fat - Artichoke - Lemon - Sun Dried - Walnut Red Pepper - With Lemon and Red Pepper Flakes -

Artichoke Lemon Pesto

5 cooked artichoke hearts & bottoms
1/4 C toasted pine nuts
1-2 t lemon juice
3 cloves minced garlic
1-2 T olive oil
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
warm water

In food processor, combine everything except water. Pulse till finely minced. With machine running, slowly add warm water until pesto reaches desired consistency.

http://recipes.alastra.com/sauces/artichoke-pesto.html Yield 1 cup

The rich flavors of Sage Pesto, cream, and shiitake mushrooms make a delicious sauce for pasta or spaetzle.

Ingredients

1/2 cup fresh sage leaves
1 1/2 cups fresh parsley leaves
2 large garlic cloves
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup pine nuts or walnuts
1/2 cup olive oil
salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions

1. Combine the sage, parsley, garlic, cheese, and nuts in a food processor or blender. Process to mix. With the machine running, slowly add the olive oil.
2. Season, to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper and process to the desired consistency. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Variation

Use other nuts, such as almonds

Source: "Sage Pesto" from Pestos!: Cooking With Herb Pastes by Dorothy Rankin 1985, Page 21
on line at India Divine http://www.indiadivine.org/audarya/vegetarian-forum/1305678-pestos-sage.html accessed May 6, 2012
Photo from Culinary Taste blog http://theculinarytaste.wordpress.com/2010/09/07/from-garden-to-kitchen-sage-pesto/

An intense, aromatic pesto. Use this pesto as a sauce or marinade base for vegetables, seafood and lamb.

Ingredients

1/3 cup fresh rosemary
1 1/2 cups fresh parsley, rough chopped
2 garlic cloves
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, freshly grated
1/2 cup walnuts ( or favorite nut variety)
1/2 cup olive oil
salt and pepper

Directions

1. Combine the rosemary, parsley, garlic, cheese, and nuts in a food processor or blender. Process to mix. With the machine running, slowly add the olive oil.
2. Season, to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper and process to the desired consistency. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Variation

Use almost any toasted nuts, such almonds, pine nuts, pecans or walnuts or even pistachio or hazelnuts.

Source: "Rosemary Pesto" from Pestos!: Cooking With Herb Pastes by Dorothy Rankin 1985, Page 20
on line at http://www.food.com/recipeprint.do?rid=307438 accessed May 7, 2012
Photo from Miss in the Kitchen blog http://www.missinthekitchen.com/2010/03/21/rosemary-pesto/

Sage Walnut Pesto

A unique pesto made of sage, basil and walnuts is ideal with noodles, salad or vegetables.

Ingredients

1 portion pesto made with walnuts
4 tablespoons excellent quality virgin oil
1 big squeeze from 1⁄2 lime
2 tablespoons dried sage
2 tablespoons dried parsley
2 fresh garlic cloves
1 pinch of dried wakame seaweed, reconstituted (optional)

Directions

1. Place everything into a food processor or great blender and whirr until smooth. If you want your pesto thinner, add water, 1 teaspoon at a time.
2. Serve over vegetable noodles

Variation

Use other nuts, such as almonds

Source: Adapted from Living Nutz http://www.livingnutz.com/2011/09/living-nutz-sage-walnut-pesto/ accessed June 30, 2012
from ebook Raw Deal: A Journey through Raw & Living Food by Kathy Kravitz

Pesto Recipes from Dorothy Rankin:

1. "Sage Pesto" from Pestos!: Cooking With Herb Pastes by Dorothy Rankin 1985, Page 21
   on line at India Divine http://www.indiadivine.org/audarya/vegetarian-forum/1305678-pestos-sage.html
2. "Sorrel Pesto with Lemon" from Pestos!: Cooking With Herb Pastes by Dorothy Rankin 1985, Page 23
3. "Green Bean Sage Pesto Pasta Sauce" from Pestos!: Cooking With Herb Pastes by Dorothy Rankin 1985, Page 54
   on line at India Divine http://www.indiadivine.org/audarya/vegetarian-forum/1305680-pestos-green-bean-sage-pesto-pasta-sauce.html accessed May 6, 2012
4. "Fresh Shiitake and Sage Pasta Sauce" Page 46
5. "Fresh Pea and Mint Pesto" Rankin Page 47

Recipes from blogs or cookbooks:

1. "Fresh Pea and Mint Pesto" from Closet Cooking blog accessed May 6, 2012 /li>
2. "Mint-walnut pesto" Food and Style blog by Viviane http://foodandstyle.com/2009/06/27/mint-walnut-pesto/

About Pestos!: Cooking With Herb Pastes by Dorothy Rankin

"The ingredients may be few, but the result is bountiful. Learn how to make an array of pestos using such diverse herbs as cilantro, rosemary, mint, and lemon thyme. Then enjoy them year-round with more than 30 recipes like Fresh Pea and Mint Pesto Pasta, Red Pesto Ceviche, Tabbouleh with Basil Mint Pesto, and Pesto Frittata."

Pesto - you hear that magical word a lot in July and August but not usually in January. Pesto! Cooking with Herb Pastes by Dorothy Rankin (Crossing Press, $7.95), makes an excellent case for winter pesto-dried herb mixtures, moistened with oil and thickened with cheeses, which can be made in November or any month. True, the word pesto is used in the nonpurist sense in this book: Pesto aficionados will argue that only the freshest basil leaves of summer, as well as olive oil, sharp cheese, fresh garlic and pine nuts, make the jade green paste in its one real form. Herb pastes, however, can come in many forms, and if they do not have that characteristic summery aroma, they certainly lend an added dimension to any dish in which they appear. Once made and frozen or refrigerated, the author says, it is easy to add a tablespoon or two to a soup, sauteed vegetables or some other dish in progress. While pesto and pasta make a perfect combination, combined with the juices of meat or fish, pesto makes a marvelous basting sauce. With the addition of a little milk or cream, you have an elegant sauce for pasta, fish, chicken or vegetables. Rankin advises that in making winter pestos, it is crucial to use dried herbs that have a good, strong aroma and are free of woody stems. (Thyme, in particular, should be picked free of stems.) Dried herbs have a short shelf life, six months at most, and should be replenished frequently. The flavor of the winter pestos is very dependent on the quality of the dried herbs. This book is a wonderful guide to making herb pastes as well as to using them in all sorts of interesting dishes. This herb paste can be used effectively as a basting sauce for chicken or seafood. Combined with a little butter, Rankin says, it makes a delicious sauce for vegetables.
Source: Chicago Tribune January 30, 1986 "Recipes Make A Case For Winter Pesto" by Andrea Wojack, Detroit News
at http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1986-01-30/entertainment/8601080482_1_pesto-sauce-word-pesto-olive-oil accessed May 10, 2012