I am a late entrant to the basil pesto fan club but I am a loyal fan now. Think of basil pesto as an Italian take on the ubiquitous mint-cilantro chutney. In fact, I can match ingredient for ingredient between the two recipes! Let’s try that out…
Cilantro and mint leaves = Basil
Roasted peanuts = Roasted pine nuts
Garlic = Garlic (Well, garlic is not mandatory for cilantro-mint chutney)
The standard pesto recipe departs from the mint-cilantro chutney one at this point but the important points are covered, don’t you think?
So you start with fresh basil. I picked a bunch from Harry’s Farmers Market. The packet mentioned that it’s grown hydroponically, and if I keep the roots submerged in water, it would last longer. Chop it finely. Put in the mixer jar.
I didn’t have pine nuts at home. So I roasted some walnuts instead using a skillet. You have to be attentive or else you’ll end up with a bowl of burnt walnuts!
Next, chop up some garlic and throw that in there as well. Most times, I don’t have garlic at home. But this time, I did and so I used it. I am sure purists will disagree but I have made pesto before without using garlic and it tasted perfectly wonderful.
Pesto also contains cheese (mostly Parmesan or Romano, as this recipe mentions). I had paneer at home, and so I used it instead. Pulse it all together. Don’t forget to add salt and pepper. Pour in some good olive oil while it’s getting pulsed. I bought this brand (below, right) from Dekalb Farmers Market. You can also see the smaller bottle of chili oil next to it, a bottle of Braggs right behind, and possibly the can of sesame oil to the right of the picture. Just giving you a mini-tour of the oils and seasoning cabinet… 🙂
You can also add the oil later, after the pesto is made. You end up with a shiny and creamy fresh basil pesto that is pure yumminess.
Slather it over toast, toss it with noodles… Any other ideas? Let me know in the comments!
Btw, if you are interested (I am!), here’s a recipe from NPR’s Kitchen Window that combines Rooh Afza and a basic Italian Ice recipe. Read about the Soulful Granita here. Scroll to the bottom of the page.
