Tuesday: The Cornucopia: Pesto Please

It's time for home vegetable gardeners to decide what plants to devote themselves to this year. At our house, we have more room than some people do for vegetable rows, but it's still a toss-up which veggies we want to plant the most of. This year I am putting in lots more sweet basil than I have in seasons past. The reason? Pesto.

I love pesto sauce. It's simple--pretty much just basil, pine nuts, parmesan, garlic and olive oil. It's so easy to make at home (and tastes better) that I never buy the pre-made stuff.

I limit myself to one pasta meal a week, so when I have it, it's a treat. Pesto on rotini is delicious hot, but I also like to dress pasta with pesto and some extra rice vinegar for a cold pasta salad. Pesto is also delicious with great northern white beans on spaghetti. Be sure to always have fresh basil leaves on hand for garnish.

Here's a brief history of pesto from the Iheartpesto blog.

Pesto is a sauce that originates in the city of Genoa northern Italy. The name is the contracted past participle of pestâ ("to pound, to crush", from the Latin root pestle), in reference to the crushed herbs and garlic in the sauce.

The ancient Romans ate a cheese spread called moretum which may sometimes have been made with basil. The herb likely first came from North Africa.
Historically, pesto was (and is sometimes still) prepared in a marble mortar with wooden pestle.

Pesto is delicious prepared the original way, with basil for the leafy herb and pine nuts for the nuts, but you can substitute. Try arugula in placeof some of the basil for a zingy, peppery flavor. Walnuts can be used in place of the pine nuts if that's what you've got on hand, and they tend to be less expensive. I use parmesan or romano cheese, depending on which is in the house. Here's a classic, basic pesto recipe. Once you get good at making it, troll the web for variations.

Be sure to plant lots of basil this year if you have the space. Another herb that you might consider is mint. What better to serve with an al fresco pesto pasta meal than a pitcher of fresh mojitos or iced tea with fresh mint?