Made pesto yesterday

I made my first pesto of the year yesterday, and had enough to put up three small containers in the freezer. This was my first time ever to freeze it. I read online that one should leave out the cheese and add it after thawing, so that's what I did. Any thoughts on that?

I was a little short on the basil called for but I cut back on the EVOO and it turned out okay. I had some purple basil I could have cut and added to it, but I was afraid the color would be strange.

Has anyone tried adding purple basil to their pesto? I have plenty of that.

It probably would look interesting. Is the flavor like regular basil? I don't see any problem using it if so except for visual purposes.

I realize I have no idea how my pesto compared to anything as the only pesto I have ever had is what I made myself LOL. I like the idea of par-mixing the pesto and freezing it and then adding the cheese later. With Parmesan, though, I would not think that freezing it would effect either flavor or texture.

We love home made pesto. My wife has made our pesto for years and she mixes everything together and then freezes it. I think she wants to be able to just throw it in when she wants to. She doesn't even pre-thaw it most of the time. She just chunks it in the pan she is making the sauce in after she sautes the other ingredients.

She has a great simple pasta dish that she makes all the time. One of the things we love about it is it's flexibility that allows us to use what we pick that day from the garden. Let me know if ya'll are interested.

I make my pesto the normal way, cheese and all, and it freezes wonderfully. I pour a small amount of olive oil on the top to provide freezer burn protection, but that is probably not needed either. I found a piece earlier this summer that got lost in the chest freezer and was 3 years old. Thawed it out and it tasted like it was made yesterday.

I've never used purple basil, but I wouldn't think it would hurt as the flavour is similar to sweet or genovese. I also use parsley in mine to help cut down a bit on the pungency -- about 1/3 parsley to 2/3 basil, but have used up to half and half.
Pesto is one of those wonderful foods that you really can't go wrong on (except when I tried it with lime basil - yech!).

ribarr4 wrote:She has a great simple pasta dish that she makes all the time. One of the things we love about it is it's flexibility that allows us to use what we pick that day from the garden. Let me know if ya'll are interested.

I'm interested...always on the lookout for an easy yummy pasta dish, especially one that uses a variety of garden-fresh veggies!

Thanks
Rhonda

I would love it if all y'all on here that are making pesto would share your recipes...I have never had nor made pesto...but it sounds yummy.

middlemamma wrote:I would love it if all y'all on here that are making pesto would share your recipes...I have never had nor made pesto...but it sounds yummy.

From CP: PESTO
I use walnuts. And I freeze it in ice cube trays.


Yummy!

middlemamma wrote:I would love it if all y'all on here that are making pesto would share your recipes...I have never had nor made pesto...but it sounds yummy.

Here's mine:

https://squarefoot.forumotion.com/food-from-sfg-f28/pesto-t2031.htm?highlight=pesto

Belfry, I beg your pardon! I was confused when I credited CP in the previous post!

My wife posted our pesto pasta recipe here:

http://www.green-cityzen.com/?p=18

Ribarr, thanks for the link to your wife's recipe. Maybe we should post these on the recipe thread, but I'll post my pesto recipe here since Middlemama asked. (Belfry, yours sounds great, too.)

Pesto

2 c. fresh basil leaves, packed
1/3 c. pine nuts, lightly toasted in skillet
2 medium cloves garlic (I let mine sit in the warm skillet after toasting the pine nuts to temper the raw garlic taste a bit, but that's my own preference.)
salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/2 c. olive oil
1/2 c. parmesan cheese

Place basil leaves in bowl of food processor with blade and gently pulse several times. Add pine nuts and pulse a few more times. Slice garlic and add to mixture, and pulse a few more times. Add salt and pepper, and turn machine on full time. Pour olive oil in thin stream through feeder tube until all is mixed well. Turn off machine and stir in parmesan. Makes about 1 cup.

As you can see there are limitless variations of pesto. Some use walnuts or almonds instead of pine nuts. Some use more garlic or roast it. Belfrybat already mentioned using parsley in place of part of the basil. (Wish I'd thought of that when I made mine. I had plenty of parsley in the garden.) I can't eat parmesan so I will substitute aged gouda. (Which probably makes the purists cringe in horror, but I do the best I can.)

I didn't like pesto the first time I tried it. It has a strong "green" flavor that I wasn't expecting at first, but it quickly grew on me.

camprn wrote:Belfry, I beg your pardon! I was confused when I credited CP in the previous post!

That's OK, I stay confused. Just so glad you liked the recipe.

ander217 wrote:
I didn't like pesto the first time I tried it. It has a strong "green" flavor that I wasn't expecting at first, but it quickly grew on me.

That's why I "temper" it with parsley. I also use walnuts because that helps cut down on the pungency a bit. (also much cheaper than pine nuts) I skip the toasting part, but I know it would add a lovely flavour.

I actually use sunflower seeds instead of pine nuts (s. seeds are *super* cheap, comparatively!), my family has never even noticed the difference. Sometimes I toast em, sometimes I don't, it's good both ways.

BUMP! Time to make basil pesto! http://blog.gardeners.com/2011/07/my-pesto-addiction.html

Almonds is interesting usually they list pine nuts (pignolias) which are outrageously expensive. I use half walnuts and half pine nuts but both have to be pan roasted for my palate. Also prefer to use half romano cheese and half parmesan. Did not see any of the customary garlic in that recipe either. But I am surrounded by Caecilians and wouldn’t want to let them to see me do it any other way. It keeps fresh for a week or freezes for 3 months which I badly outstretch. Fresh baked Ciabatta bread makes it a special event too.

Yeah, I have some left from last year in the freezer and it is better than none.

camprn wrote:BUMP! Time to make basil pesto! http://blog.gardeners.com/2011/07/my-pesto-addiction.html

I cannot seem to edit, the forum Gods must be at work. Anyway, I have so much basil in the garden I just posted to Facebook looking for vegetable trade for basil... I am awaiting replies... we'll see what my friends come up with.

I had planned to have 4 squares of basil this year, 12 plants, so I could make pesto and try it, I have never had it.

I can't get it to grow to save my life...the leaves keep turning brown and wilty, then it will send out all new growth and new beautiful baby green leaves emerge, then BAM...it gets all brown and wilty again...No clue what I am doing wrong, never thought Basil would be hard to grow. Maybe our weather this year has just been too cool....we have some 80 degree days, haven't hit 90 yet this year, but still having 48 degree nights.

Oh well...there is always next year.

On the flip side I just found four little tiny cauliflower babies...

I don't freeze the pesto. I make a slurry of basil and oil and freeze that in "sheets". I break up the sheets to fit them in ziploc freezer bags. (I use the kind that you pump the air out of.) When I want to make pesto, I pull out the "sheet" and break off a chunk for as much as I want to use and add the nuts and cheese to that. It tastes incredibly fresh that way.

camprn wrote:

camprn wrote:BUMP! Time to make basil pesto! http://blog.gardeners.com/2011/07/my-pesto-addiction.html

I cannot seem to edit, the forum Gods must be at work. Anyway, I have so much basil in the garden I just posted to Facebook looking for vegetable trade for basil... I am awaiting replies... we'll see what my friends come up with.

I ended up trading basil for blackberries and peaches.

The only variation from Ander217 recipe is a bit more cheese but do halves of romano and parmesan then use about half and half walnuts and pine nuts all toasted. Pine nuts are expensive and I like the mix better anyhow. That is from an old Italian church recipe book.

For anyone eating a lowfat "flegan" (that's flexable vegan) diet like I am I know you miss your pesto here is a recipie I found on http://fatfreevegan.com



Very low fat pesto

• 3 cups coarsely chopped fresh basil leaves
• 2-3 tbsp pine nuts or walnuts
• 1/4 cup dry bread crumbs
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 2 tbsp light miso (to taste)
• 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 1/4 to 1/3 cup water

Place everything except the water in a food processor. Pulse until finely minced. With machine running, slowly add water until desired consistency is reached.



I use braggs amino acid to taste instead of miso and pine nuts not walnuts. Use it fresh not suitable for freezing as it will turn brown. I think I will add a little lemon juice next time to see if that keeps it's color.:scratch:



I don't expect those of you who's taste buds are used to salt, sugar and added fat to like this Pesto I know the others will.

A friend of mine uses pecans in her pesto. I think I might try that this year, as pine nuts are so expensive and I HATE walnuts!

GG

Next summer looking for a popular basil for zone 5-7. I would like to order seeds but do not know which type is good for this area

thanks