2
cups basil leaves
½ cup fresh
parsley (preferably flat-leaved)
3 large
cloves (or more...) garlic
½ cup pine
nuts (or walnuts and 1 teaspoon chopped rosemary)
¾ cup
freshly grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
½ to 1 cup
extra virgin olive oil
Combine the basil, garlic and nuts in a food processor or
blender; chop coarsely. With the motor running, add the olive oil. Shut the
motor off and add the cheese and salt and pepper to taste. Process briefly
to combine. Do not over-process—pesto should be homogenous but not as
finely processed as a puree. Use immediately for best flavor. Stores well
for a few weeks in the refrigerator or for 6 months in the freezer.
Toss with:
fresh hot pasta
chicken salad or
tuna salad
lightly steamed
vegetables
boiled new
potatoes
Brush onto:
grilled or baked
vegetables—especially squash, eggplant, potatoes and tomatoes
grilled fish or
chicken
crusty bread and
lightly toast or grill
Use to garnish:
vegetable soups
spaghetti
hot or cold pasta
salad
The
Surreal Gourmet Entertains, by Bob Blumer
Serves
6
Don’t
be fooled by the simplicity of this recipe—it will win raves!
2 medium
vine-ripened tomatoes
3 tablespoons
olive oil (best variety available)
¼ teaspoon
salt
a teaspoon
freshly ground pepper
10 fresh basil
leaves, coarsely chopped
8 Kalamata
olives, pitted and coarsely chopped
½ sourdough
baguette, or Italian or French bread, sliced
into ¼–½ inch thick rounds
2 garlic
cloves, peeled
1. Using the
coarse side of a grater, grate the tomatoes into a medium bowl (to
facilitate the procedure, it helps to cut a thin slice off the bottom end of
the tomato and begin grating from that end). After grating each tomato, you
will be left holding its skin; discard.
2. Add the oil,
salt, pepper, basil and olives. Blend thoroughly with a spoon.
3. Toast the bread
in a toaster until very brown (you can also brown the bread on the grill or
under the broiler, but keep an eye on it as it browns quickly!)
4. Immediately
after removing the bread from the toaster, rub a garlic clove over the
entire surface of one side. Each slice should use about 1/6 of a clove. (Be
careful, when the garlic meets the hot toast, it will create fumes that can
sting your eyes—just like an onion).
5. Just
before serving, top each piece of toast with a spoonful of the tomato
mixture.
Le Secret
Toast bread until it is brown and crispy. Assemble in small batches and
serve immediately so the tomato mixture doesn’t have time to soak into the
bread and make it soggy.
The Adventure Club
Use yellow or orange tomatoes, and/or purple basil.
Alternatives
Basil may be replace with an equal amount of fresh tarragon, thyme, or
oregano.
Prep Time
Ten minutes
Cooking Time
Five minutes
by
John Martin Taylor
(taken
from Charleston Cooks May/June 1998)
Serves
2
This is a perfect summer pasta dish that learned to make when I lived in
Italy. Raw tomatoes and basil are chopped and added to cooked pasta; hot,
garlic-flavored olive oil is poured over this dish to warm it through. I’ve
heard this dish called by several names in Italy, but most of them are too
vulgar to print.
It is essential that you use firm, ripe tomatoes for this dish. The recipe
feeds two, but you can multiply it without fear. Serve it with a really
young and fresh Italian white wine such as Frascati.
½ lb. dried
pasta of your choice (I use fettucine)
¼ cup
extra-virgin olive oil
4 or 5 garlic
cloves, peeled
1 firm ripe
tomato
fresh lemon
juice (optional)
½ cup firmly
packed fresh basil leaves
salt and
freshly ground pepper
freshly grated
Parmesan cheese for serving (optional)
While you cook the pasta, put the olive oil and garlic in a small saucepan
over medium high heat. They will begin to sizzle while you prepare the
tomatoes and basil. You want the oil to stay very hot, but you do not want
to burn the garlic or it will impart a bitter flavor. Turn down the heat
when the cloves turn golden, or move the pot off the heat.
Core and dice the tomato. You should have about 1 cup. If desired, squeeze a
little lemon juice over the pieces. Sprinkle the basil with a small pinch of
salt and coarsely chop it. You should have 3 or 4 tablespoons.
Just before the pasta finishes cooking, put the oil back over high heat to
get it very hot again. When the pasta is cooked, quickly drain, then
transfer it either into a large bowl or back into the empty pasta pot.
Distribute the tomato and basil over the pasta, then pour the sizzling oil
over the pasta through a sieve to catch the garlic, which you then discard.
Toss quickly and divide among two pasta bowls. Let each diner season to
taste with salt and pepper, and if desired, freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
