Pesto Perfecto · 16 August 2007
For over a year, Jackson has been telling me about his pesto. It has achieved legendary status. Almost every time we eat at an Italian restaurant, he orders pesto, and invariably he weighs it against his enjoyment of the pesto that he makes. His family backs him up on claims of greatness. “Jackson,” they say “makes damn good pesto.” Despite these excellent credentials, I’d yet to experience the pesto for myself and couldn’t offer an opinion.
Then I decided that I was ready to reap the fruits of my gardening labor. I’d been reading The All-True Travels and Adventures of Liddie Newton, and the book’s description of the American Dream of getting a homestead and making a living from it. Liddie didn’t make it as a pioneer farmer, and I’m sure I wouldn’t either. But after reading Liddie’s story, I appreciated the dream of farming in a way that I hadn’t before despite my growing awareness about local sustainability.
Despite being a very minor plot point the one thing that really stuck with me from this book was the bleak picture of winter and the fear of crop failure that sent many settlers packing. So it was with joy that I noticed my very own first crop could be counted a success.
My basil plants were ready for their first plucking, and I decided to lay down the pesto gauntlet. The results are in. Jackson does indeed make damn good pesto. We paired it with some heirloom tomatoes fresh from the Farmer’s Market, topped with fresh mozzarella, purple basil, and olive oil. The fruits of my labors never tasted so good!.
No set recipe on this one, since all I did was help pick the basil, but I can give you the ingredient list.
- Basil and lots of it
- Pine nuts
- Walnuts
- Garlic (lots of garlic)
- Olive oil
- Something I’m forgetting (let’s call it the secret ingredient for now)
- Serve over pasta (Trader Joe’s pesto filled tortellini used here)
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Chris · 16 August 2007, 23:16
I’m craving tortellinis so bad now!! Sounds delicious :D
Dark Orpheus · 17 August 2007, 06:14
Love Italian. And the tortellini looks very good.
jean pierre · 17 August 2007, 08:10
oooh! using your own vegetables must be really satisfying! and wholesome feeling :)
forgive me for asking, but what are those mini-pumpkin things? the yellow, red and green ones? are they pesto?
i have a rather soft spot for pesto, ‘cause it was one of the first dishes i learnt to make. it was so satisfying cooking with pesto and getting it right and having it taste delicious!
pesto pasta and, pesto with cod. pesto is my friend!
Kim · 17 August 2007, 18:43
jean pierre – Those are actually tomatoes and despite being green and yellow, the ones in back are ripe.
One of the awesome things about my local farmer’s market is that the vegetables are so colorful. They almost always have gorgeous purple carrots.
I planted a mixed bag of carrot seeds and I’m hoping when mine are ripe they look half as good :)
Jackson · 18 August 2007, 09:24
I’d now like to add that, as leftovers the day after the above pictured pesto was made, I ate five more plates of it. Therefore, I have to agree: I do make some damn good pesto. In fact, it’s actually the best pesto in the world. You may be thinking of some other pesto that you have enjoyed, perhaps made by your own hand, perhaps not. I say to you now: your pesto is inferior in every way.
Quixotic · 22 August 2007, 01:32
I am addicted to pesto! This looks/sounds great.
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