It’s Easy to Go Nuts About Pesto

Today I talked to my friend, Ingrid, who was very disappointed with a pesto marinated chicken that she had purchased. She decided to salvage what was left of it by mixing it with some other ingredients because she reasoned that so many people are hungry and it seemed a shame to throw away. Bravo for zero waste cooking! I would have done the same.

After mentioning that pesto was easy enough to make, she said she didn’t have the machinery to do so. So I probed further. No food processor? No blender? What about that thing you use to make your morning smoothies? “Oh, yes! I have one of those!” she suddenly realized. Yes, you can learn how to make pesto without a food processor.

Making Pesto

Because I usually use a food processor to make pesto, I decided to test it with the appliance she owned. Did it work? Yes, but it requires a little more love because you’re not adding so much liquid except for a little olive oil. (A possible solution for this if you’re making pesto for pasta: Add a bit of the starchy pasta water to the container and blend that together. You would add a little pasta water to the pesto and pasta combination before serving anyway.)

After blending for a few seconds, I would scrape around the sides of the container to mix and then with the top restored, shake it a little. Then I hit the power for a few more seconds and repeated the process a couple more times. Had I not thrown the stems in there, it would have been fine. Stems??? Yes, stems. You wouldn’t garnish the top of an elegant plate with chopped stems, but for pesto, it’s totally fine, provided they get chopped up small enough.

Here’s an aside on basil stems, in particular: A few years ago I accidentally discovered that chewing on them temporarily relieved a terrible sore throat I had been suffering from. Apparently basil is an analgesic! Who knew?!

Mortar and Pestle

Another low-tech alternative would be to use a mortar and pestle, which is in fact, my favorite kitchen tool besides a good knife and chopping block.

When going to someone else’s home to cook, I sometimes ask, “Do you have a mortar and pestle?” The usual response is a blank expression, followed by, “I can’t imagine what I would ever use it for.” LOL.

Well, it’s just about the easiest way to crush some garlic to make a quick salad dressing or to grind up some whole spices. By the way, whole spices stay fresh just about indefinitely, while ground spices need to be replaced every 6 months. I like keeping a wide variety of spices in my cabinet, but I prefer them whole if I don’t use them weekly.

I am thankful to have grown up in a metropolitan area where I have been influenced by cultures and cuisines from around the world. The mortar and pestle were introduced to me by friends from the Middle East when I first discovered the bold, fresh flavors of garlic, lemon and parsley. After experimenting with all kinds of other contraptions, I came to agree that the mortar and pestle are the way to go.

Ingredients

Now, back to pesto: You can make it with just about anything. Most people are familiar with the basil version which typically includes: pine nuts, garlic, salt, olive oil and Parmesan cheese. But why stop there? How about a spinach pesto?

I love pairing cilantro pesto with fish. For that, I usually leave out the cheese and make it with a different nut because pine nuts are so expensive and a few people have told me they have an allergic reaction to them. I prefer using either walnuts or almonds. (Raw nuts are a wonderful addition to your pantry, by the way. Just put them in the refrigerator after opening the bag.)

Got another nut? Cashews? Pistachios? I have used them all and have found that I often don’t even feel the need to add cheese, so if you’re dairy-free, no problem. Be careful with the salt, especially if your nuts happen to be salted. You can always add more, but you can’t take it back. Experiment with adding a little citrus juice too. Go nuts!

For more on using your mortar and pestle, please see Undressing the Dressing.