How do you use pesto?

15 years ago

When I was grocery shopping I found some red pepper pesto. I never used pesto before. It looked good. Give me some great hints. Thanks much. -Barb

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Comments (9)

lindac
15 years ago
Mixed with hot pasta...stirred into an oil and vinegar salad dressing as a sauce on pizza dough thin slices of tomato and grated cheese....a dollop in a minestrone soup....diluted a bit with olive oil as a dip for bread....over cream cheese for hors douvres...
John Liu
15 years ago
I use basil pesto as a condiment for steak. I've never had red pepper pesto - how is it?
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When I grow basil I grow enough to make a three year supply of pesto (and I eat a lot of it). Sunshine is precious in my yard so I can't grow enough of anything every year - everybody has to take turns being the teachers pet. Anyway by far the easiest way to make pesto is with one of those old hand crank meat grinder thingy's that clamp to the side of the table and have the interchangeable tips so that you can make a fine chop or a coarse chop. You can run all your ingredients through the mill and just mix them when they come out (I use a huge bowl to catch them as they exit the grinder). If you run short of any part of the recipe you can continue to grind and store your half made pesto and simply write on it what it is and what is missing from the recipe. Some folks don't like as much garlic as I do. I store mine in plastic freezer bags. I plop a couple of cupfulls of pesto into the zipper top bag and smoosh it around so that it gets most of the air out of the bag. I seal it shut and lay it flat in the freezer. After the bags have froozen solid you can stand them upright like books on a shelf. When you want some you simply break off a corner and then open the bag and remove it. I like to use good quality olive oil, garlic, some sort of nut - can be pine nuts, pecans or even sunflower seeds.
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How do you 'work' in the garden? Do you use a potting bench?
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Dee, I like your idea of putting all the small tools in a five gallon bucket and bringing it with you. I think I am going to try my version of that with a two wheeler and a small beach umbrella. I like bringing shade with me and having a two wheeler to move something if I need it. I also have a way of using the 5 gallon bucket as a work surface while sitting on a riding seat. I had fun putting the whole thing together too. Had lots of places to put things like my water bottle, etc. I did that two summers ago and I forget what happened that I didn't last year. I could move into one of those sheds tomorrow too Dee. Might make a nice get away, right in the backyard. Bring out a cooler and a comfortable chair, a few gardening magazines...make a day of it. :-) Linda, the umbrella is a nice idea when you have to use a space that is too sunny and it helps when it rains to keep things dry if you haven't got any cover. I also made a decision to try using the garage for one season and clear out an area that would be the same size as a small shed and see how it works before I commit to having a shed. sooey, you sound pretty organized to me! pm2
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susytwo
15 years ago
I've never had red pepper pesto, but with basil pesto, my favorite way to use it is to make a pesto cream sauce for pasta or chicken. Or to just toss it as is into hot pasta.
caliloo
15 years ago
Both traditional green (basil) and red pepper pesto are fantastic with grilled swordfish.

Alexa
cookie8
15 years ago
I tried in once on pasta and it wasn't really for me. However, I have a huge basil plant just sitting there so I will try again with some of these suggestions. The red pepper pesto sounds interesting - in a good way.
cookebook
15 years ago
LOL at Cookie's "in a good way" :-)

It's also good on roasted veggies. Sometimes I add some to my pasta sauce. Good over roasted meats.
lindac
15 years ago
There are lots of ways to make pesto. I have made it half basil and half spinach....or half basil and half parsley...or roasted and skinned red peppers and sun dried tomatoes....or all spinach and blue cheese instead of parmesan, or a mix of parmesan and romano...or all romano and sub walnute for pignoli....
all combinations of the above are good. Think of pesto as a garlic, oil, cheese and nut thing with some sort of fairly assertive herb or vegetable added.
Surely there is some combination Cookie would find good on pasta.
Linda C
rob333 (zone 7b)
15 years ago
instead of marinara sauce for a pizza. How about some red onions and feta with it?
annie1992
15 years ago
cookie, I don't care for green pesto on pasta either, but the red pesto sounds interesting.

Annie

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How do you use pesto?

Comments (9)

lindac

John Liu

Related Discussions

susytwo

caliloo

cookie8

cookebook

lindac

rob333 (zone 7b)

annie1992

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