Subject: Re: Pesto?

From: [email-masked]
Date: Thu, 23 Mar 95 12:20:40 EST

Navreet (Reet) Sumal <[email-masked]> wrote:

[snip]
IS>What exactly is pesto?  What herbs is it made of?  Can these be
IS>grown in Northern California (near San Jose, 45 miles south of San Fran),
IS>Zone 9.

IS>My wife and I tried some recently and loved it - we'd like to try our
IS>hand at some home-grown/made pesto!
[snip]

Pesto is an Italian condiment often used as an ingredient in pasta
sauces.  It's made from sweet basil leaves, olive oil, pine nuts,
garlic, and parmesan cheese; however, nowadays just about anything
made with chopped leaf herbs is termed `pesto'. (I've even seen
`Cilantro-Dill Pesto' served with fish!).

Sweet basil plants should be readily available in your area. They like
lots of sun, water, and nitrogenous fertilizer, and good drainage.

Here's a pesto recipe:
a 2-cup liquid measuring cup packed full of basil leaves.
1/3 cup olive oil (Extra virgin; the more flavorful the better)
4 big cloves garlic
two heaping tablespoons pine nuts (or walnuts, or a mixture of both)
(Parmesan cheese to taste, added later)

Mince garlic (use a food processor or blender). Add other ingredients
and chop rather fine (not too fine).

It can be frozen in this condition.  Don't add the parmesan cheese
until you're ready to cook.

Look in Italian cookbooks for more ideas.

Richard Shiell, ASLA    Bakersfield, CA         [email-masked]
---
 þ SLMR 2.1a þ Old gardeners don't die, they just go to seed.

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