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Pesto
Mar 16, 2009 21:23:12 GMT
Post by bazfaz on Mar 16, 2009 21:23:12 GMT
We grow basil so I make pesto. When the basil looks as if it is getting out of hand I make pesto for the freezer. So we are now enjoying our pesto and had some tonight with pasta. I also make a nice starter, baking eggs with pesto (Mockchoc has this for breakfast).
Any other ideas for using pesto?
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Pesto
Mar 16, 2009 21:27:21 GMT
Post by Deleted on Mar 16, 2009 21:27:21 GMT
I never seem to find any ideas for using pesto. I abstractly like the idea that it exists, but I am incapable of using it. I want sauce rather than paste.
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Pesto
Mar 16, 2009 21:30:08 GMT
Post by Deleted on Mar 16, 2009 21:30:08 GMT
I have with good results basted baked fish with pesto,brush some on initially,not slatthered,bake a bit more,baste again. Try!
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Pesto
Mar 16, 2009 21:37:33 GMT
Post by Deleted on Mar 16, 2009 21:37:33 GMT
Oh, I can imagine using it on fish. Much more than pasta. Good idea, thanks.
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Pesto
Mar 16, 2009 22:20:39 GMT
Post by bixaorellana on Mar 16, 2009 22:20:39 GMT
This may go against everything you've ever learned, but don't drain the pasta completely when you're going to put on pesto. With a nice garlicky pesto, you get what I consider a divine soupiness.
I made pesto once and gave it to my grandmother. She politely tried a little on pasta, but much preferred to use it as an addition to sauteed onions or garlic. She'd saute either or both of those, add some pesto, then proceed with whatever else was to be added.
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Pesto
Mar 17, 2009 2:18:58 GMT
Post by gringalais on Mar 17, 2009 2:18:58 GMT
I do the same sometimes when my basil is starting to go to seed. It is good on chicken, brush it on, let it sit a bit and bake. Also, I mix with tomato sauce to make pizza, or just use the pesto instead of pizza sauce.
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Pesto
Mar 17, 2009 6:36:38 GMT
Post by mockchoc on Mar 17, 2009 6:36:38 GMT
Baz, it was just pesto on the bottom of the ramekin, an egg cracked on top, drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of salt then into the microwave right? Think I have it right. It was very good I must say but should make it again very soon.
I'm about to make more pesto after the return from my holiday anyhow so I'll save some for that.
Now and then if making pesto for pasta I'll add some cream to make it into more of a sauce. Why not? Taste great.
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Pesto
Mar 17, 2009 6:49:08 GMT
Post by happytraveller on Mar 17, 2009 6:49:08 GMT
Put Pesto on fish fillet, add lime juice and a little bit of white wine, bake it in oven. It makes a very easy and yummy meal!
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Pesto
Mar 18, 2009 6:26:25 GMT
Post by gyro on Mar 18, 2009 6:26:25 GMT
It's pretty versatile, to be fair. Make a slit in a chicken fillet and stuff this with pesto and then either fry or bake with oil and butter. Serve with buttom mushrooms gently fried in butter and herbs, and trimmed green beans.
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Pesto
Mar 18, 2009 10:38:06 GMT
Post by Deleted on Mar 18, 2009 10:38:06 GMT
Forgot this one, instead of using the traditional passata ,use pesto to sauce gnocchi.
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Pesto
Mar 18, 2009 10:41:10 GMT
Post by gyro on Mar 18, 2009 10:41:10 GMT
I made pesto the other week with peanuts instead of pine kernels, and wilted spinach instead of basil. It was very nice.
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Pesto
Mar 18, 2009 12:52:35 GMT
Post by Don Cuevas on Mar 18, 2009 12:52:35 GMT
I tossed the small remnants (2 tbsps) of pesto into a skillet of parboiled but still crunchy green beans, along with a little onion and diced tomato. It was quite good.
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Pesto
Mar 18, 2009 14:43:08 GMT
Post by Deleted on Mar 18, 2009 14:43:08 GMT
I've heard of substituting walnuts for pine nuts but never peanuts,have to ponder that one. Have also heard of using arugula (rocket) in lieu of basil. I think I'll remain a purist on this and stick with basil.
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Pesto
Mar 18, 2009 15:03:43 GMT
Post by bixaorellana on Mar 18, 2009 15:03:43 GMT
Interesting. I routinely substitute sesame seeds for the pine nut content, or leave that part out entirely. I never heard of pesto made of anything but basil, but thinking about it, other leaves make perfect sense. The only thing that makes it "pesto" (from Italian pestare, to pound) is the crushing of the ingredients, right?
What intrigues me about Gyro's version is the use of the peanuts and spinach together. That combo makes me think of Asian food and the idea of Italianizing it is most interesting. Why not a pesto of peanuts, dark leafy green, hot chile, and some drops of sesame oil?
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Pesto
Mar 18, 2009 20:27:46 GMT
Post by Deleted on Mar 18, 2009 20:27:46 GMT
Spinach would be tasteless in pesto, no?
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Pesto
Mar 18, 2009 20:28:04 GMT
Post by Don Cuevas on Mar 18, 2009 20:28:04 GMT
I made cilantro pesto, using green pumpkin seeds. Later, a chef I worked for insisted that the only true pesto was made with pine nuts and basil. The other stuff might be tasty pastes,but they are not pesto. He said.
I've also used walnuts. So much cheaper.
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Pesto
Mar 18, 2009 21:57:23 GMT
Post by gringalais on Mar 18, 2009 21:57:23 GMT
I have tried pesto made with cilantro, it was pretty good. I also use walnuts. I have only seen pine nuts here a few times and they were outrageously expensive.
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Pesto
Mar 18, 2009 22:17:46 GMT
Post by wibblywobblydo on Mar 18, 2009 22:17:46 GMT
Pesto with yoghurt for a gd salad dressing. Pesto with Gnocchi is a definite knocker.
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Pesto
Mar 19, 2009 5:33:56 GMT
Post by gyro on Mar 19, 2009 5:33:56 GMT
"The other stuff might be tasty pastes,but they are not pesto. He said."
Chefs are like that.
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Pesto
Mar 19, 2009 7:55:14 GMT
Post by bazfaz on Mar 19, 2009 7:55:14 GMT
Well, I agree with that chef. The point of giving names to dishes is so that you know what you are getting. Once you wander off and do new things it needs a new name.
I am reminded of a post on Ye Olde Thorne Tree from someone who wanted to have a recipe for boeuf bourguignon that didn't use wine. Er, beef stew doesn't have to have wine. Boeuf bourguignon does.
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Pesto
Mar 19, 2009 8:53:39 GMT
Post by gyro on Mar 19, 2009 8:53:39 GMT
Yeah, but loads of restaurants use 'classic' recipes and change the ingredients to give it a twist, but still retain the name. Calling it spinach & peanut pesto is not necessarily one I've seen, but you catch my drift, and it happens many many times ....
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Pesto
Mar 19, 2009 15:58:51 GMT
Post by Don Cuevas on Mar 19, 2009 15:58:51 GMT
There have been, for example, misuses of the term, "napoleon", to describe a savory dish of thinly sliced, layered vegetables with some filling between. Nice, maybe, but it's not a napoleon in the classic sense; baked pâte feuilletée layers filled with crème pâtissière.
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Pesto
Mar 19, 2009 16:07:33 GMT
Post by bixaorellana on Mar 19, 2009 16:07:33 GMT
I agree with Gyro. Just because the basil pesto is the well-known pesto doesn't mean it's the only one. This is reminding me of a friend who back in the 70s went to a pasta restaurant and was horrified that his order came with a cream sauce. His comment: "I thought spaghetti was always supposed to be red!"
Here is what the Encarta World English Dictionary as to say about pesto:
pes·to [ péstō ] noun Definition: 1. basil sauce: a sauce or paste made by crushing together basil leaves, pine nuts, oil, Parmesan cheese, and garlic. It is traditionally served hot or cold with pasta or on meat.
2. flavorful paste: a puréed or finely minced paste of herbs and vegetables, tomatoes, or olives, used as pasta sauce, bread spread, or in cooking
[Mid-20th century. < Italian< past participle of pestare "pound, crush" < late Latin pistare< Latin pinsere "to beat"]
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Pesto
Mar 19, 2009 16:10:44 GMT
Post by bazfaz on Mar 19, 2009 16:10:44 GMT
I make a sauce with walnuts, parsley, garlic, olive oil and lemon juice. It is not a walnut pesto; it is an aillade.
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Pesto
Mar 19, 2009 16:15:13 GMT
Post by bixaorellana on Mar 19, 2009 16:15:13 GMT
From the definition, I'd say that what makes a pounded sauce "pesto" is the proportion of green matter. Since aillade is more walnut than parsley, it's not a pesto.
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Pesto
Mar 19, 2009 19:00:41 GMT
Post by gyro on Mar 19, 2009 19:00:41 GMT
I don't disagree that there is realistically only really one CORRECT definition of pesto, for example, but to get prissy about variations is stupid. Alledgedly, a 'proper' pizza should only have 4 slices of cheese on it (or something like that), but if it has more or less it'd be stupid to say it can't be called a pizza ...
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Pesto
Mar 19, 2009 21:26:30 GMT
Post by bazfaz on Mar 19, 2009 21:26:30 GMT
Jeez, pizza has a zillion variations but it is still pizza. Pesto is made with basil. If it is not, it is some other sauce.
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Pesto
Mar 19, 2009 21:38:34 GMT
Post by bixaorellana on Mar 19, 2009 21:38:34 GMT
You can't disagree with the dictionary, Baz. I stand by what I say in #24 above. Admittedly, if someone tells me they're having pesto-baked chicken for dinner, my mental image will be of a basil product. But if they follow up that statement by saying it will be a parsley/pecan pesto, my only reaction will be to admire the alliteration.
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Pesto
Mar 19, 2009 21:55:54 GMT
Post by bazfaz on Mar 19, 2009 21:55:54 GMT
I most certainly can disagree with the dictionary. Dictionaries simply follow the way people use a word. Over time meanings change. But - I am protesting loudly against this change. If enough people see the error of their ways then the makers of that dictionary will wirhdraw that stupid secondary definition. Pesto is made with basil. Other ways of making it are fawlty.
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Pesto
Mar 20, 2009 5:14:00 GMT
Post by gyro on Mar 20, 2009 5:14:00 GMT
Oh dear.
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