So the two words are etymological cousins from Latin, cool. Thanks MrDibble!
What is an adequate substitute for pine nuts? They are rather dear.
Really, almost any nut will do. It’ll be slightly different, but still good. I tend to go for walnuts and/or pistachios. But I’ve even used stuff like sunflower seeds and it’s been good.
A lot of that has to do with the age. Most of the domestic parmesans are aged only 12 months, and the oldest I can remember seeing was 16 months. The minimum I’ve seen from the imports was 18 months.* I’m sure if I looked for specialty cheeses, I might find older domestics, but I mostly look at my large supermarket’s specialty cheese display.
*Without researching, I believe that is the minimum allowed for the D.o.C. stamp. Of course, I might just be misremembering something I heard.
String pastas are all round noodle pasta. Flat noodle pasta will work. Pesto should not be “creamy”; that is an affectation that has come through modern methods of making pesto and an expectation that sauces not have a texture. Hand made pesto should have a consistent texture with the nuts finely chopped and ground but not completely pulverized and it will not cover noodles evenly like a marinara or ragu. The stuff you get at the store that comes out of a tube is not “pesto”; it is some kind of green basil-flavored spread.
I stand corrected; it has been a while since I’ve made pesto and I’ve gotten use to toasting nuts for other recipes but you are correct that for pesto pine nuts (or whatever nut or seed is being used) should be raw.
Stranger
There are two ways to critique pesto. First way: is it traditional (in somebody’s definition of somebody’s tradition). Second way: is it good.
If your pesto is good, then it’s good.
If traditional but not good, then what would be the point.
Pine nuts have a fairly subtle flavour. If using something with a stronger taste, take care not to overpower your other ingredients.
Yes, I would assume this is the case, but even so, I’m surprised at how much a few extra months makes a difference. It’s like the difference between a run-of-the-mill young gouda and a 3- or 5- year old Gouda. (And, to be honest, I’ll sometimes use an aged Gouda in lieu of Parm.) I just need something that has dried out a bit and has those lovely little crystals of umami in them.
I just remembered pesto I had that seemed traditional but not good - I think the basil in it was sub-par.
If you start with good quality ingredients and take some care in making it (not breaking the bank on super-exotic oil and crazy cheese, just making sure the basil is fresh and nice and that your other ingredients are “the real deal”), you’re guaranteed pesto success, at least with me.
I feel it may be important to note, with everyone discussing how to make pesto, the OP added it right to the boiling pasta.
Regardless of how it’s made or what kind you buy, it needs to be added afterwards, just like you would pasta sauce.
That actually was mentioned by a few posters.
I sub in some romano cheese to get the extra missing flavor. Not too much, it can be overwhelming. About 1/4 romano 3/4 parmesan.
I buy fresh basil at the farmer’s market in late summer, when it’s really cheap. Then I throw a bunch of leaves in a blender with Parmesan and/or Romano cheese and olive oil. Blend away.
Put the resulting mixture in plastic ice cube trays or spread it like a paste on waxed paper, cover and freeze it. When you need pesto sauce, cut or break off what you need. It will easily melt and blend if you throw it in a saucepan with other ingredients like mushrooms or cut-up, cooked chicken. The pasta should be made separately.
Pistachios, yes. Walnuts, maybe. In my Mind’s Eye (what? you can’t make stuff by imagining it? how do you COOK?) peanuts don’t work though I love peanut butter with Parmesan on toast. On Wonder Bread, raw, is nauseating. Okay, I’ll eat it and try to enjoy it, but no miracles should be expected.
Wife preferred Wonder, AKA “squish,” bread. We disagreed.
I won’t say peanuts in pesto is impossible, but it seems like a bad idea all right.
My wife made a pesto with pistachios. It was spectacular!
Aah, I wasn’t sure, they were only being contrasted with shapes.
I make my pesto with a mortar and pestle, exactly the way I saw it made in Italy, and “creamy” is closer to how I’d characterize it than “clumpy”. It does have a texture I’d call “grainy”, but there aren’t any* clumps* it. I call it “creamy” because it’s about that viscosity, it flows but coats the spoon - most jarred pesto I’ve seen is far thicker than that.
Update: i got the pesto premade, grated parmasan cheese, and the type of pasta that catches particles (not the long strands) and it turned out awesome!
My wife makes a terrific pesto sauce, which unlike the preferences shown in this thread is actually quite rough and clumpy (although she prefers to call it “rustic”). I don’t know the exact recipe, but I know she makes it with fresh basil, fresh mozzarella di bufala, pine nuts, olive oil, kosher salt and a buttload of fresh garlic, served on farfalle or fusilli. It’s nontraditional, but delicious.
PLEEEEASE make your own pesto - it’s so easy, and tastes 1000% better