Messing with Pesto

According to Wikipedia, the word "pesto" is "the contracted past participle of pesta ('to pound, to crush', from the Latin root of work pestle)."  While I love the idea of pounding away with a mortar and pestle, I'm not willing to put in the elbow grease if it's not absolutely necessary. So, when I decided to experiment with different ingredients (for "experiment" read "cleaning out the fridge") to make pesto, I pulled out my mighty mini food processor.  

It's not as romantic as using a mortar and pestle but the end result is just as delicious, and I don't have to break a sweat.  I did try to make pesto with a mortar and pestle after seeing a recipe posted by David Lebovitz, but the novelty of pounding basil leaves wore off after the second cupful.  Needless to say, I sold out and finished adding the remaining 3 cups of basil using the mini food processor.  Since the following variations of pesto weren't made by pounding, I suppose I can't technically call them "pesto,"  but "cuisinarto" or "handheld-mixo" just doesn't have the same ring to it.  So, "pesto" it remains.  Sorry, Wikipedia.

Basil Pesto

Adapted from a recipe by David Lebovitz

Note:  For this recipe I used a blood orange infused olive oil I got from Stonehouse California Olive Oil Company.  It is so good I practically drink shots of it.

3 cloves garlic, peeled

1/2 tsp sea salt

6 cups fresh basil leaves, loosely packed

5 Tbsp blood orange infused olive oil

3 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted

1.  Place the garlic, basil, sea salt and olive oil in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until the basil leaves break down.  

2.  Add the Parmesan cheese and pine nuts and blend until all the ingredients resemble a smooth paste.

Yields about 1 cup

Wild Arugula Pesto

3 cloves garlic, peeled

1/2 tsp sea salt

1 cup fresh basil, loosely packed

4 cups wild arugula (baby arugula), loosely packed

5 Tbsp olive oil

3 Tbsp grated Parmesan Cheese

1 Tbsp pine nuts, toasted

6 walnut halves, toasted

1.  Follow the same steps as in the recipe above.

Yields about 1 cup

Mushroom Pesto

2 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed

3/4 tsp salt

1/2 lb mushrooms (I used a mix of oyster, shitake and baby portobello)

4 Tbsp olive oil

2 Tbsp Parmesan cheese

1 Tbsp almonds, toasted

6 halves walnut, toasted

1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1.  Roughly chop the mushrooms and saute for about 2 minutes with the garlic and 1 Tbsp olive oil.

2.  Place in the bowl of a food processor with the nuts, olive oil and salt and pulse until pureed.

3.  Let cool then add the cheese and black pepper.

Yields about 1-1/4 cup

An Excuse to Insert a Photo

Every summer the New York Philharmonic holds performances in Central Park, and the Great Lawn overflows with New Yorkers armed with picnic baskets (go here for pictures from the event) ready to unwind after a hard day's work.  Beethoven, Sibelius, Tchaikovsky, and fireworks...not a bad way to end a day.  Perfect setting for me and my friends to do what we do best:  eat, drink and be merry. 

We didn't really plan a picnic menu. To be honest, we were still recovering from a party couple of nights ago.  We decided to feast on the party leftovers of sopressata, fresh mozzarella, pesto, olives and champagne.  Some of us, fearing this would not be enough, made an executive decision to order pizza from Nick's Pizza on 94th Street and Second Ave (they delivered to one of the Park entrances!).  

Now, isn't that a pretty sight? Thin crust, ribbons of fresh basil, a brush of sauce, fresh mozzarella and a confetti of pepperoni.  I love their pizza.  I think it's one of the best in NYC.  I have to thank my friend, Bella, for telling me about Nick's.

The mushroom pizza disappeared before the picture-taking began. Now that I have a blog, I need to remember to take photos.  BTW, this was taken with my brand new iPhone.

Confession:  I don't yet have a handle on this blogging business, but I did recognize that this page was looking a little bland without any pictures and since I am craving pizza at the moment, I thought, "Why not?"

I'm off to test a recipe...will post the outcome soon.

I Don't Know What I'm Doing

It was a glorious afternoon.

The weather was perfect. Lunch at Sophie's Cuban Cuisine was lip-smackin', finger-lickin' good: tender roast pork, slightly crispy on the outside maduros, and a I-don't-know-what-it's-called-but-it's-addictive green sauce. Dessert was a sublime experience: oh-so-smooooth frozen custard from Shake Shack.

Ahh. All was right in my world.

My partners in crime and I were sitting on a park bench, seconds away from a stupefied trance that can only be induced by gluttony when suddenly...

Me: "I should have a blog!"

My friends, trying not to look horrified at the thought: "Uh, sure."

Me, wild-eyed and spittle forming at the corner of my mouth: "Yeah, yeah. I could write about today's lunch! And about that line! (Pointing maniacally.) Look at that line! Only in NYC will we stand in line for 40 minutes to a get a burger! And I can write about the 5 hours I had to stand in line for my iPhone! We stand in line for everything! I can write about that!"

My friends, who are now thinking, "What was in that green sauce?": "Um, yeah.  It would be great!"

Of course, back at work few minutes later, my sanity returned, and I mumbled to myself (I do this all the time), "Of course, I can't blog.  I'm not a writer. I'll probably get hate mail all the time.  I'm a neurotically private person - I don't usually do things like this. Besides, I'll commit some blogger faux pas and be banned forever by some blogging etiquette committee.  I don't know anything about html, php, gif, or whatever all those symbols are!"

Well, since you're reading this, you know how effective this talk was with myself.  I don't know anything about blogging, but I know I'm having a ball already.  I'll figure things out as I go. And I promise, I won't write about standing in lines (well, maybe once...or twice).  I will write about my gastronomic experiences and post recipes I've tested.