Spice it Up - Pesto P
esto is usually a classic combination of basil, garlic, pine nuts, and olive oil, puréed into a potent paste of sorts, and the perfect summer condiment. No cooking required, it can be served alongside grilled meats, roasted vegetables, or tossed with pasta. Not only is it easy to make, it’s even easier to adapt to your own tastes, swapping in and out various ingredients based on what you like or what you have available. Follow these general guidelines and you’ll be on your way to spicing up your supper, thanks to only three or four ingredients.
38 Culinaire | July/August 2020
BY MALLORY FRAYN
Pick your greens Basil is the pesto herb of choice, but let’s face it, if you don’t grow it yourself, it’s expensive to buy and has limited shelf life. Instead, opt for less delicate herbs like parsley, cilantro, dill, mint, or chives. The only ones you really want to stay away from (or use in more sparing quantities) are hearty winter herbs like rosemary or thyme, as they are better suited for cooked applications. Alternately, you can broaden your selection beyond herbs and move into the territory of lettuces and other greens. Spinach, arugula, and kale are all options. Also, rather than throwing away the greens from vegetables like carrots or
beets, you can use them in pesto instead. A word about blanching: pureeing herbs and other greens can bruise them and cause them to lose their vibrant, green colour. To prevent this, briefly (literally, 3-5 seconds) blanch them in boiling water, remove and drop into a bath of iced water to chill rapidly. This will help to set their colour before proceeding with your pesto recipe. Nuts and seeds Pine nuts may come to mind, but again they are not cheap and frankly, don’t have a ton of flavour to bring to the pesto party. Widen your scope; whatever nuts and seeds you enjoy eating out of hand
