So, I ripped the general idea for this recipe from a college buddy (Thanks, Mevans!). Both of us love the taste of homemade sauces. I, at least, was also incredibly upset by the cost/quantity ratios of store bought pesto. Around here it's around $6/2oz jar. I can make it fresh, at home for about $.30/2oz. That's 18 times as expensive as CadeMade pesto!!! Okay, so I probably shouldn't sweat the $6, but it's principle! And, I might was well write about it...
The Concept:Create a homemade pesto from ordinary household ingredients that tastes good and doesn't cost $3/oz.
The Ingredients:2 tbsp. dried basil
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan, finely chopped (or run through a food processor)
1/2 tsp. garlic, finely chopped
Olive Oil
The Process:Combine the basil, Parmesan, and garlic in a small bowl. SLOWLY, add olive oil while stirring, until the sauce reaches desired consistency (I prefer thicker consistency for sandwich spreads, thinner for pasta).
WIdTOTs:- Fresh basil is better, but it won't last as long and it's more expensive, as much as $5/bunch around here - If You want the best tasting pesto, You're going to need about two bunches of fresh basil. Run it through a food processor to get it finely chopped. Also, I'm not a pesto expert, but I've seen "pestos" in all shapes, sizes, and forms. "Pesto" is Italian for "ground" and some people literally use almost any herb with the other ingredients to make a wide variety of pesto sauces. I've heard mint tastes good; maybe I'll try it in a future post.
- No pine nuts - I know, I know. Any professional chef reading this blog just peed his/her/their pants. But, those things are expensive and unless You have a pine nut addiction, they'll sit in Your pantry for months. Worse, they don't stay fresh very long. If You don't care about the cost (or You just peed Your pants), crush about 1 tbsp. and mix it in with the other ingredients. NOTE: Most traditional restaurant pestos are made with pine nuts.
- The Kicker - Garlic can be "spicy" - This sauce isn't cooked, which means the garlic You're eating will be raw. No worries, You won't get salmonela. But, You should worry about garlic's ability to overpower just about everything, including vampires (Run, Edward. And, take Taylor with you.) Too much garlic overpowers everything and makes the sauce seem spicy. I love garlic, and 1/2 teaspoon is plenty.
The Finished Product:
Simple. Cheap. Tasty. Yes, it's that easy. Yes, I have tried it. Yes, it does taste just as good as store bought pesto. Don't let those super-store-mega-food-processors dupe You any longer!
On a personal note, if you're in the Dallas area and own a pine nut farm, that's kind of weird, but I'd love to purchase some small quantities of your stock. :-)
-Cade
The Guaca-Salsa Verde is originally from another blog called Frosted Bake Shop, but don't let the name fool You. The writer, Erin, really knows her Tex-Mex!
