Fred Plotkin's Mortar-Ground Pesto
http://www.winespectator.com/Wine/Free/Newsletter_Tip_Main/0,,136,00.html
Put a half-dozen small basil leaves, stems and spines removed, into the mortar with 1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt. Mash with the pestle in a steady rhythm, and continue to add more leaves (you'll need 60 small, or 30 large, leaves in all).
Halfway through add 2 cloves of peeled garlic with the green hearts removed.
When the garlic is almost incorporated, add 3 tablespoons of pine nuts.
Once the pine nuts are mashed, stir in 2 tablespoons each of grated Pecorino Romano and Parmigiano-Reggiano, then a 1/4 cup of olive oil.
The olive oil used for pesto, like the basil, should be delicate in quality. Ligurian oil is fruity and light, a far cry from the throat-catching Tuscan oils. Though Ligurian oils are becoming more available (look for brands such as Ranieri, Carli and Roi) you can get by with a mild and fruity oil from Italy, Spain or California. Because pesto is not a cooked sauce, the quality of the salt is important. Table salt can be too harsh. Coarse sea salt is preferred, but kosher salt will do in a pinch.
I can eat pesto with almost any food and have been known to spread it on bagels. More conventional uses include putting it on grilled or baked vegetables, meat, fish, poultry or bread. Pesto can even make canned minestrone special. Pasta, of course, is the ultimate mate for pesto. For a pound of pasta (enough for six people), mix 1/3 cup (or more) of the pasta cooking water with 3/4 to 1 cup of pesto to form a smooth sauce.
Put a half-dozen small basil leaves, stems and spines removed, into the mortar with 1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt. Mash with the pestle in a steady rhythm, and continue to add more leaves (you'll need 60 small, or 30 large, leaves in all).
Halfway through add 2 cloves of peeled garlic with the green hearts removed.
When the garlic is almost incorporated, add 3 tablespoons of pine nuts.
Once the pine nuts are mashed, stir in 2 tablespoons each of grated Pecorino Romano and Parmigiano-Reggiano, then a 1/4 cup of olive oil.
The olive oil used for pesto, like the basil, should be delicate in quality. Ligurian oil is fruity and light, a far cry from the throat-catching Tuscan oils. Though Ligurian oils are becoming more available (look for brands such as Ranieri, Carli and Roi) you can get by with a mild and fruity oil from Italy, Spain or California. Because pesto is not a cooked sauce, the quality of the salt is important. Table salt can be too harsh. Coarse sea salt is preferred, but kosher salt will do in a pinch.
I can eat pesto with almost any food and have been known to spread it on bagels. More conventional uses include putting it on grilled or baked vegetables, meat, fish, poultry or bread. Pesto can even make canned minestrone special. Pasta, of course, is the ultimate mate for pesto. For a pound of pasta (enough for six people), mix 1/3 cup (or more) of the pasta cooking water with 3/4 to 1 cup of pesto to form a smooth sauce.
posted by Alex Navarro at 5:16 PM
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