I bought a jar of pesto because I’ve liked it so far. (And it was on sale, I thought it was the perfect opportunity to experiment.) But what can I do with it? I need ideas, recipes, and all that.
Just a few ideas off the top of my head:
[ul]
[li]Use it to make pita pizzas with mozzarella and veggies of your choice (instead of tomato sauce)[/li][li]Toss it with cooked pasta and sauteed shrimp for a quick dinner[/li][li]Mix with a block of cream cheese and use as a dip[/li][li]Mix with mayo and cooked chicken for an interesting sandwich filling[/li][/ul]
• Rub on fish or chicken as a marinade.
• Eat with tortilla chips or chunks of crusty French bread.
Throw it in just about any pasta dish, animal or vegetable.
Often times I’ll use it instaed of mayo on a sandwich, especially with a milder meat like turkey. Actually, that’s exactly what’s in front of me now.
Also, it goes well with many cheeses on a snack tray for guests.
Cook some pasta and toast some pine nuts, and mix enough pesto with them to turn the pasta green.
Get some good crusty rolls and pan-fry some chicken breasts. Make a sandwich with the chicken, rolls, and pesto.
I make omelettes with cheese, pesto and spinach.
These are all terrific ideas, but I have to say, fresh pesto sauce is incredibly easy to make and tastes worlds better than anything out of a jar.
All you need are fresh basil leaves (my grocery store carries basil in the form of plants rather than just packets of leaves; I usually buy two plants to make a goodly amount of pesto), garlic (one or two cloves depending on size and love of garlic), pine nuts, Parmesan cheese, and olive oil. Pureé everything together with a … heck, what do you call the handheld mixer that’s like a stick? Mine is a Stabmixer from Braun. Anyway, one or those, or a blender or whatever else would work for you. Taste it along the way and see if you need more of anything, and end with adding some salt. Done!
Mix with hot pasta and grated Parmesan and make yummy noises!
A spoonful of pesto improves mac&cheese alot.
From my experience, pretty much anything. Pasta, rice, eggs, bread, tacos- you name it, pesto is yummy.
Add a bit to a little dish of sour cream. You now have a dip for veggies. I like to do this with breaded zucchini slices.
Stir a spoonful into a bowl of soup.
Whisk into eggs, then scramble. Voila! Green eggs; serve it with ham.
dry it, chop it up into lines, and snort it up your nose.
You can butterfly a chicken breast and fill it with some pesto and mozzarella.
Red pesto is best, although green would work.
What is red pesto?
Texafrance makes a range of pestos; some of them are red. They are fresh & available refrigerated at Central Market. Highly addictive.
Once you get hooked, it’s time to learn how to make pesto; very easy with a blender. Just about warm enough to start planting basil here in Houston.
I agree. Fresh is best. I prefer very coarse basil and garlic.