An Evolution of Pesto

I recently took Massimo Bottura’s MasterClass. One of the episodes features pesto. I made the “recipe” tonight. He starts by rubbing a cut garlic clove on the inside of the blender. Then he adds basil with mint. I also added some thyme. All three were fresh from my garden. He adds olive oil and ice water to keep it cool. Instead of pine nuts he adds breadcrumbs. I made mine using day old Italian bread dried out in my smoker (while I was smoking chicken legs). Salt and freshly grated Parmesan are the only other ingredients. Blend, taste, adjust, blend, taste, etc.

It was really good. Very light — I was able to eat much more of it than regular pesto. Regular pesto almost makes me feel sick because it’s so rich. It also seemed to pair perfectly with the wine I chose: 2018 San luigi dogliani.

It was also super easy to make. Picking the greens and making the pesto was all accomplished in the time the pasta cooked.
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Nice
My wife is allergic to pine nuts. I’ve used sunflower seeds but love the idea of the bread, especially smoked.

Pesto is a canvas not a composition. Well done!

Sounds great, going to try that type of recipe. Love the idea of mint and bread crumbs instead of pine nuts.

Factory Kitchen in downtown L.A. makes the best pesto dish I’ve ever had. Chef Angelo is Ligurian and makes his with almonds, on mandilli/handkerchief pasta.
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Agreed, it is outstanding

Much as we love Pine Nuts, after our bad reactions to the Chinese ones we have stopped using them. I make Arugula or Basil Pesto with pistachios. I usually give them a bit of a toast in the oven if i have time.

What’s the benefit of ice water? Prevents things from overheating the blender?

Yes, keeps the pesto cool and the colors more vibrant. He makes a huge deal about water in the MasterClass. “Water is truth!”

Nice post. So often, pesto can overpower many things. Additionally, pine nuts can wreak havoc on taste buds, especially with wine. I’ll definitely try the bread crumbs.

going to make this tomorrow or sunday. have a boatload of pesto, parsley and mint that needs to be pruned…thanks for sharing

try using creamy goat cheese instead of parmesan. it makes the dish less cloying and lighter tasting.
credit to Marcella Hazan for the variation

We have used toasted walnuts as an alternative to pine nuts
We also make kale pesto which I find more vibrant than the basil

Followed the recipe to a T and it was a hit…will try one of the variations mentioned here next.

Have been using pistachios in place of pine nuts with great success

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We made pesto the other night using basil from the garden. But my family has pecan trees on the farm, and we always use those instead of pine nuts.

Carrot tops also a great use here. They are technically an herb since it is parsley family.

When using variable greens(kale, beet, carrot) and I like to use lots of them, just a small dash of white balsamic can balance any bitter.

thanks Suzanne for goat cheese idea, will try.
I make a lot of variations, probably the pesto I make most uses radish leaves.
I love good pinenuts (I avoid Chinese), but pistachios, pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds (cheap!) are fun alternatives.
Have to be careful with walnuts, too much can be bitter to me.

My basil is growing like a weed right now so I’ve been making Massimo’s pesto. I just sit there shaking my head the whole time I’m eating it because it’s so good. Like “one of the best things I’ve ever eaten in my entire life” good. My wife still makes pesto with pine nuts… no thanks. I’ve also discovered that this recipe is fantastic served cold.
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I love basil pesto so much, though mine is not exactly delicate! I use either pine nuts or walnuts, though I would like to try other nuts mentioned here. Lots of garlic goes into mine. I like to serve with raw chopped tomatoes (garden), pitted black olives and Romano or Asiago cheese.

I struggle with wine choices though. Many that I try become overwhelmed by the pesto.