Pesto sauce is my favorite pasta sauce. I always thought it was difficult to make so I always bought from stores. However, none impressed me. Something was off; I couldn't tell what.
I finally broke down and looked up recipes for pesto. Turns out it only requires five ingredients:
- basil
- garlic
- nuts
- parmesan cheese
- olive oil
I already have everything on hand except basil.
Pine nuts are traditional, but a lot of recipes say pine nuts are expensive so it's ok to substitute for other nuts. I usually have either almonds or walnuts on hand.
A lot of recipes also say basils can be substituted for other soft leafy greens. So I've used parsley, dills, and 大葉. Basils are still the best because of that strong hit of sweetness. So I usually buy a mix of basil and whatever fancies me on the grocery shopping day.
Put everything in a blender and blend it up. I have a weak immersion blender so I blend up basil and olive oil first to create a liquid base for the rest of the hardy items.
Even salt and pepper are not required because parmesan cheese is salty enough. I still put a little salt and pepper in the mixture because I consume pesto sauce slowly. Salt and pepper act as preservatives in the refrigerator.
The reason that I consume pesto slowly is because it is actually a very filling sauce with nuts and parmesan cheese. In my household, a little bit goes a long way. So with cheaper ingredients and using the pesto judiciously, it's actually cheaper than buying from the store.
Some recipes call for lemons. I've tried one whole lemon and couldn't taste the difference.
I finally understand why pesto has been around for thousands of years. Once I get the hang of making pesto, it's very addictive. It is so easy and so delicious. Homemade is much better than the store-bought.
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| Pesto, homemade |
This time I used basils, dills, 2 garlic cloves, 1.5 cups of olive oil, 1/2 cup of parmesan cheese, 1/4 cup of walnuts, salt, pepper. It feels a bit too liquid-y. Too much olive oil, I suppose. Next time I'll know to put in more cheese and nuts to balance it out.