When it comes to pesto, I wing it. Most pesto recipes are so stingy with ingredient amounts they never have enough of what we like in them so I always change the recipe to suit our taste.
When it comes to pesto, I don't measure exact amounts of anything, I go by consistency and taste, but I'll give you a general rundown.
You will need to have the following ingredients on hand.
Cilantro, pine nuts, sunflower seeds or pepitas (nuts must be unsalted raw), fresh garlic, EVOO, fluer de sel or sea salt, lime juice and a good aged Asiago or Parmesan cheese.
If you use a prepared, grated Parmesan cheese with Kraft on the label, a pox on you!
In your food processor or blender toss in the first 4 ingredients.
1: One bunch of washed and dried, roughly chopped cilantro, stems and all
Cut away the biggest bottom stems & toss, they're tough and will spoil the pesto
2: Two or three smashed cloves of garlic
More can be added once you taste it and find out just how hot your garlic really is - Remember, you never can trust a clove of garlic (or a red onion for that matter)
3: A mixture of 1/2 pine nuts and 1/2 sunflower seeds.
Start with about 2 TBL spoons of each, I sometimes use more just because I like the nutty flavor. You may also use a mix of pine nuts and pepitas.
4: Enough EVOO to make it all blend in the food processor
Start with less, say a 1/2 cup, add as you go until the slurry blends freely.
5: Once the above 4 ingredients are blended, add between 1/4 cup and 1/2 cup of grated Asiago/Parmesan cheese and blend some more.
The key is the right amount of EVOO and cheese to get a slightly thick, yet slightly runny slurry.
(If you even dare to use Kraft Parmesan a double pox on you!)
6: Add salt and lime juice to taste. I start with about 1 tsp of lime juice and add more by little dribbles until it tastes balanced.
Once that's done, give it another taste and then add more garlic, cheese or nuts until you are satisfied with the pesto's flavor.
Storage: I store mine in 1 cup canning jars that are freezer safe. Once the pesto has settled in the jar poor a thin layer of EVOO over the top to lock out the air. You can keep it in the fridge for at least a month or freeze it for up to a year.
When you're ready to use it scrape back the top layer of EVOO and scoop out the pesto. Even out the pesto remaining in the jar and re spread the EVOO over the top.
When it comes to pesto, I don't measure exact amounts of anything, I go by consistency and taste, but I'll give you a general rundown.
You will need to have the following ingredients on hand.
Cilantro, pine nuts, sunflower seeds or pepitas (nuts must be unsalted raw), fresh garlic, EVOO, fluer de sel or sea salt, lime juice and a good aged Asiago or Parmesan cheese.
If you use a prepared, grated Parmesan cheese with Kraft on the label, a pox on you!
In your food processor or blender toss in the first 4 ingredients.
1: One bunch of washed and dried, roughly chopped cilantro, stems and all
Cut away the biggest bottom stems & toss, they're tough and will spoil the pesto
2: Two or three smashed cloves of garlic
More can be added once you taste it and find out just how hot your garlic really is - Remember, you never can trust a clove of garlic (or a red onion for that matter)
3: A mixture of 1/2 pine nuts and 1/2 sunflower seeds.
Start with about 2 TBL spoons of each, I sometimes use more just because I like the nutty flavor. You may also use a mix of pine nuts and pepitas.
4: Enough EVOO to make it all blend in the food processor
Start with less, say a 1/2 cup, add as you go until the slurry blends freely.
5: Once the above 4 ingredients are blended, add between 1/4 cup and 1/2 cup of grated Asiago/Parmesan cheese and blend some more.
The key is the right amount of EVOO and cheese to get a slightly thick, yet slightly runny slurry.
(If you even dare to use Kraft Parmesan a double pox on you!)
6: Add salt and lime juice to taste. I start with about 1 tsp of lime juice and add more by little dribbles until it tastes balanced.
Once that's done, give it another taste and then add more garlic, cheese or nuts until you are satisfied with the pesto's flavor.
Storage: I store mine in 1 cup canning jars that are freezer safe. Once the pesto has settled in the jar poor a thin layer of EVOO over the top to lock out the air. You can keep it in the fridge for at least a month or freeze it for up to a year.
When you're ready to use it scrape back the top layer of EVOO and scoop out the pesto. Even out the pesto remaining in the jar and re spread the EVOO over the top.
Comments