No More Sundried Tomato and Pesto!

Don't get me wrong, it's not that there is anything wrong with it, but, in the late nineties, everywhere you went, it seemed like everything had sun-dried tomato and pesto in it: sandwiches, pasta, pizza.

I like sundried tomatoes just fine, and I adore pesto, but I vehemently disagree with the incessant pairing. I find the flavors too demanding, too competitive. Those two ingredients together, combined with a poorly-executed, jarred pesto is almost enough to put me off pesto altogether. Almost...

When pesto is done right, it becomes a thing of true beauty. I went through a short phase of pesto perfection which included the research and purchase of a mortar and pestle. The word pesto, after all, comes from the same origin as pestle with an emphasis on pounding and crushing. It is not enough to simply pound and then crush, these two actions must take place simultaneously for a successful pesto.

This being said, a food processor or magic bullet is not an option. Although making the sauce fresh will always rival jarred or other store-bought varieties, you will get the best results with a little old-fashioned sweat and a mortar and pestle.

Many say that the very best pesto comes from Genoa, Italy. The superior taste is attributed to the quality of the soil in the Ligurian region, which produces the most fragrant basil. We can't all go to Genoa, but, suffice to say, quality ingredients count when you are producing pesto. I insist that you use the best ingredients you can find and you will notice the superior results.

It's also one of those lovely, rustic practices like that of making bread, that link us to our forefathers. There is a lovely serenity in that connectivity.

Bearing that in mind, once you have mastered the traditional version, pesto can be created using different nuts and greens: try walnut and cilantro, or almond and watercress. The hard cheese can be altered as well. Instead of the traditional parmigiano-reggiano, try pecorino romano. The possibilities for new combinations are endless!

Traditional Pesto alla Genovese

pinch of kosher salt

3 cloves of garlic

large handful of basil

Place the salt in the mortar and add the garlic, breaking and mashing it into the salt until it breaks down into a paste. Next, add the basil working in 3-4 small batches. Bruise the leaves against the coarse salt and garlic mixture. If needed add a touch more salt to help break it down.

a small handful of pine nuts (toasted for best flavor)

2/3 cup of freshly-grated parmigiano-reggiano

3 tbsp of high-quality, cold-pressed, extra-virgin olive oil

Add the pine nuts, working in 2-3 batches, pounding and crushing it into the paste. Do the same with the hard cheese, but exercise restraint. Many a pesto has been ruined by an American palette insisting that more is always better with when it comes to cheese! Finally, cover the entire mixture in olive oil.

Enjoy spread on toast, as a pizza sauce and as a pasta sauce. (When using as a pasta sauce, toss in some of the pasta cooking water to help the pasta bind with the sauce and create a silky texture.