Pesto Change-o!

Pesto is one of those things that usually happen in summer. That's when the basil usually comes in, that's when cooking mode and gardening mode intersect most frequently, here at any rate. But this year the basil crop was unexceptional, to say the least, and all our modes were muted somewhat. So no summer pesto happened this year, and the pine nuts waited alone in the kitchen cupboard.

Then, two days ago, a fool's errand took me to Portland, and afterwards, mission unaccomplished, I thought, "Ah! Miccuci's!" So over I went to pick up some of their marvelous parmesan cheese, and glancing carelessly to one side of the cheese and olive counter I beheld a Sight! Basil! Big Basil! Basil Bunches! Big Basil Bunches! "It's a sign," I thought to myself. I bought all they had.

Home, The Wife said, "Ah, I see you were at Miccuci's". "Yes," I replied. "Pesto," she asked? "Yes, indeed," I replied!

Everyone who likes Pesto has an opinion of some kind or other about it. It shouldn't have too much garlic, it should be made with walnuts, it's okay to use parsley, it doesn't matter what kind of oil one uses, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. In the matter of Pesto, as with so many other matters, I view all views that diverge from mine as wrongheaded, incorrect, blasphemous and potentially damaging to our National Security.

Ingredientwise, Pesto is simple: one needs fresh basil, devoid of stems and stemlike material. One needs fresh, real, Italian parmesan cheese, of only the best quality. Extra virgin olive oil will do, and nothing else in the oil arena will suffice. Garlic must be freshly peeled, minced, and pressed, as well as plentiful. Pine nuts in sufficient quantity. A dash of salt and a bit of pepper are all that's required to finish things off.

Interestingly, in the matter of ratios, I feel it's all a matter of taste. What are you supposed to do, after all, weigh the basil, do a moisture analysis and calculate the amount of pure basil leaf? And what about the strength? Some basil is stronger and more basilesque than others-- so you'd have to multiply the amount of pure basil leaf by the Basil Strength Factor. As you can see, things could get ridiculous quite easily. So forget it. You put the basil in the food processor and process it, add a splash of oil, and more leaves, a bit more oil if needed until it's the right sort of consistency (there are no Consistency Police-- the Right Consistency is whatever the maker thinks is right) and then at some point add half the garlic (you can always add more, but it's hard to unadd garlic...) and then start with the shredded parm, more leaves, more parm, until all the leaves and cheese are in. Taste for garlicosity, and if it's lean, add the rest, if not, call it a day and put the rest of the garlic aside for later use. Drop in some salt-- it needs some, but not a lot, and a bit of pepper, but not too much. Then, finally, the pine nuts. For this batch-- which filled, by this time, about 2/3 of the food processor bowl-- I dumped in about five or six ounces, and processed only until all the nuts had vanished from atop the mixture. Then I added the rest, another five or six ounces, and processed until that, too, had vanished. This guarantees that the nuts will be chopped, but not disintegrated.

After that, you're good to go. I usually fill ice cube trays with the pesto, make cubes, pop them out when frozen and store in plastic bags in the freezer until needed. Today's batch came in around three and a half pounds, which will keep us in pesto for a goodly while. Perhaps all the way through until next summer, when our own basil comes in, and our gardening and cooking modes are both in good fettle and coincidence.