Mix a small amount of pesto (about a teaspoon, or a bit more) into a little dish of sour cream (about 1/3 cup). Stir. Dip what you will. I LOOOOVE this on breaded zucchini.
You’re welcome.
Oh yeah… grow your own basil! It’s super easy to grow, you can do it in a pot on a windowsill. I grow it in my yard, and when I harvest it, I freeze it. When I need some, I just punch the freezer bag and voila! I don’t even have to chop it.
This is a Cafe Society thread just waiting to happen (not junior modding, but C’MON!)
I agree with
I rarely use my mortar and pestle, but it is my FAVORITE thing in the kitchen, and when you need it for something, it is the BEST THING EVAR!!!1!. I bought mine at ImportFoods.com, if you’re looking for one. Here is the page on their M&Ps in particular.
I love pesto, and it is (like many other food-things) much better made at home. Storebought, premade pesto is (in my experience) rather like the grated Parmesan that comes in the green can. Sure, you can use it, but you can do SO MUCH BETTER.
On the other hand, I’m not having any luck growing basil. I’m indoors, and can’t put them in the yard. I try to keep them watered, fed, and sunned, and they look like mutants. I don’t suppose anyone has any tips, do they?
A plethora of basil would be like…well, I shouldn’t probably say in polite mixed company, but it would be NICE…
Wait, wait, wait… You can just freeze basil leaves, in their whole leafy leaf form? I have a little basil plant on my windowsill, and I pinch off leaves every now and then for salads, sauces, or sandwiches, but that’s it.
I’ve recently been getting pre-made stuff at the supermarket here in Panama that is made with cashews. It isn’t half bad (though certainly not as good as the real thing).
If you ever feel that you are becoming addicted to pesto, and you want to quit, call Wallace and Gromit’s Anti-Pesto Company.
I’m not sure how that would work, but it’ll definitely sell!
That stuff from Classico is delicious. Half the time I make or prepare pasta sauce, I put some of this in. It doesn’t matter if it’s a tomato sauce or cream sauce – it always works well.
Try pesto on pizza in place of the usual tomato sauce. Yummy!
I remember the first time I had pesto. College… on a pizza… I was confused.
Yes, I freeze the few herbs I grow. In PA, buying them fresh in the grocery store is obscene. I also freeze dill and thyme. I use a lot of thyme in the colder months (it adds a wonderful depth to homemade soup stock).
I don’t even pinch the leaves off before I freeze them. Rinse 'em, dry 'em, toss the whole “branch” (stem?) in a freezer bag.
In summers past, I used to make what I called (but weren’t quite) “Cold Pizzas.” I would buy a prepared pizza crust (“Boboli” comes to mind), spread it with a locally-bought jar of basil pesto mixed with a container of sour cream, evenly (as best you can) distribute a container of ricotta cheese over it, and bake it for a few minutes until the ricotta was soft and spreadable, more or less. I would then top it with lots of cold chopped vegetables: tomatoes, scallions, garlic, radishes, carrots, spinach leaves, radiccio, finely chopped broccoli and cauliflower…whatever sounded good (and the more variety, the better). If I wanted any kind of meat (which I usually do on pizza), I would use a can of smoked oysters or mussels, and some mashed sardines. Top with feta cheese crumbles, drizzle liberally with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, and enjoy.
It didn’t stick together very well, but it was delicious. I should make another one of those.