Pesto By Any Other Name

 

Pesto, a flavorful herbaceous sauce, is traditionally made with fresh basil, garlic, olive oil, grated cheese, and pine nuts - and it is one of my personal favorite pasta sauces, especially in the summer months when I have lots of fresh basil growing outside.  However, pesto is not just for pasta - it also makes for an easy condiment to add to a variety of dishes.  I have used Pesto on almost anything from grilled seafood and poultry; to homemade soups and casseroles; to roasted vegetables; as a delicious spread on grilled bread topped with melted cheese, and I've even used it as a pizza topping.

Simple seafood dishes (that I try to eat at least once or twice a week) like grilled shrimp, salmon, trout or swordfish (my husband's favorite), can all be brightened up with a light side of freshly made pesto that takes only minutes to make from scratch. I prefer to make my own pesto sauce at home since the store bought varieties I've tried tend to be too oily and in my opinion, not nearly as flavorful as homemade pesto using freshly picked basil and herbs.

I often use a mix of different varieties of basil in my pesto based on what I have growing in the summer months such as Italian basil, lemon basil and Thai basil, as well as mixing in a few other fresh green herbs like oregano or thyme.  And I'll add blanched spinach (or kale) to the basil mixture when making pesto if I don't have enough fresh basil on hand or just want to "neutralize" the intense basil flavor in my homemade pesto.  Be sure to blend well all your fresh green ingredients first (in either a food processor or blender) along with the olive oil and nuts (if using), and add the grated cheese last.  And there is no heating freshly made pesto sauce since you just add your favorite hot drained pasta directly into the pesto and mix well (reserving a few tablespoons of pasta water to thin out the pesto if your sauce is too thick).  When making grilled seafood I'll add a tablespoon or two of fresh pesto sauce to the center of individual serving plates, swirl it around with the back of a spoon and then add the grilled salmon or swordfish right on top of the pesto so the hot-off-the grill seafood entrée gently warms the puddle of pesto in the plate. You may also add a small dollop of pesto to the top of your grilled entree if you prefer.

Here's a simple Pesto recipe based on the one in my LegalEats cookbook which I have adapted over the years and now make using a combination of fresh picked basil (any variety) from the garden (or use a large bunch of store bought basil), in combination with fresh herbs and (blanched) spinach or kale.  I prefer to omit the pine nuts and limit the amount of extra virgin olive oil I use in the recipe to keep the pesto on the lighter side so it doesn't over power the dish I'm serving it with. 

Libelously Lite Pesto Sauce

Ingredients

  • 2 - 3 cloves fresh garlic, peeled
  • 3 - 4 tablespoons grated Parmesan (or Pecorino Romano) cheese
  • 2 cups fresh basil, washed and stems trimmed (or 1 cup basil, plus a 10-ounce package of fresh spinach or kale, blanched and drained)
  • A few sprigs of any other fresh green herbs, if using
  • 1/4 teaspoon of salt (or to taste)
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (or to taste)
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • 1/3 cup non-fat, low sodium chicken broth (optional)
  • 3 - 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (or to taste)
  • small handful of pine nuts (optional)

Directions

  • Place the garlic and basil (or basil, blanched spinach or kale combo), any other fresh herbs, if using plus lemon juice, salt and black pepper in a food processor and purée for a few seconds.
  • Purée again with the food processor running, slowly add the olive oil, chicken broth, if using and nuts (optional) and purée to make a smooth thick paste.
  • Add the grated cheese last and purée again until just mixed.  Taste and adjust seasonings, if necessary.  

 

Note:  If using pesto as a pasta sauce in a dish like grilled shrimp with linguine, just add a tablespoon or two (depending on the consistency you want) of reserved hot pasta water to slightly thin out your pesto sauce before adding it to your hot drained pasta. Mix drained pasta and pesto well, then add the grilled shrimp last and toss lightly to combine all ingredients.

Comments:   You can freeze any leftover Pesto sauce in ice cube trays for later use in the winter months to add to your favorite homemade or store bought soups.  I also use pesto as a spread for grilled crusty bread (to serve with a salad), and in baked potatoes as an alternative to butter.  We recently grilled some fresh swordfish and salmon for dinner and plated them over homemade pesto (served like we recently had at my husband's birthday dinner at his favorite Atlanta Italian restaurant).