If anything, the present weather in NYC has made for ideal hothouse conditions. The tomatoes and basil are really enjoying it, the rest of us maybe not so much.
I am trying to grow a coffee plant in my office and the jury is still out on how much we are enjoying each other – I am trying to make it happy!
But the overflow of basil has made for fun pesto experiments. Last night was simply pistachio + basil + olive oil, with some charred tomatoes and garlic and angel hair for dinner.
If you are feeling more creative, I recommend making this sorrel, spinach and pistachio number. It packs a punch of pure flavor, plus Vitamin A.
I also love this red pepper and broccoli rabe pesto – if you are lacking in basil, unlike me – it is a beautiful color all the way on the other side of the spectrum.
This arugula (or rocket) pesto is another one to have in your back pocket. Made with olive oil, roasted garlic, and pumpkin seeds instead of pine nuts, it makes for an excellent spread.
Add spinach to a traditional basil pesto, and it will make for a lovely topping for polenta cakes or a stir-through for a vegetable soup a la pistou – très provençale. Find the recipe here.
And for all you non-traditionalists out there, this tat so pesto is, perhaps, the most surprising. This peppery book toy cousin really spices things up!
Enjoy eating your greens this summer!
These are all great suggestions! There’s nothing better than an overabundance of basil at this time of year. I love filling the freezer with pestos, changing it up with peppery greens. Pistou is one of my first out-of-my-parents’ house culinary discoveries, years ago, so I’m especially fond of it.
Pistol is wonderful, isn’t it? Adds such an easy depth of flavor. Do you freeze pestos with cheese in them also? I’m curious because for me those do not freeze as well!
I love all your different suggestions for pesto. I’ve got a bunch of broccoli rabe in the fridge now and think I’ll give that one a try.
Thank you, Karen! I hope you enjoy it.