Thursday, July 22, 2010

Pesto is for the People

I LOVE pesto. Smother me in pesto... seriously.

So I'm continuing on with my CSA-friend theme here. As we were liberating the winter squash last weekend, we discussed her possible allergic reaction to walnuts. I, personally, was heartbroken by just the sound of this. Along with pesto and good music, I LOVE walnuts. My dog does too. Watch out!

The topic of pestos came up - with the smell of basil was in the air. She asked about nut alternatives: pine nuts, being a little pricey; walnuts, making her tongue itch. She mentioned almonds. and I thought.... hmmm, interesting choice, I suppose. And then it just popped in my head like alfalfa sprouts gone wild. (drum-roll please) Sage Almond Pesto. What a delightful idea. Ever since that afternoon, i have not been able to put it out of my mind.

So naturally I snagged a bunch of sage from her farm and quickly picked up some organic almonds from the co-op, toasted them up right and started grinding away.

The finiish product was (the obvious) Sage and Toasted Almond Pesto, using farm garlic scapes. I made a Penne dish with the last of the broccoli rabe, sun-dried tomatoes, beet greens and the magnificent pesto. Delish!

Specifically, in terms of the pesto: I found it to be a tad on the bitter side. Now there are multiple theories circulating in brain as the cause and what to do. Could have been the simple fact that I used it up right away. Pesto tastes oh so good when all the flavors have the time to marinate and get cozy together. Also, next time I might try cutting the sage with a little parsley - that always does wonders. And a few other tricks up my sleeves I wish not to mention at this point in time.

Bottom line is... I LOVE PESTO.