pesto

Pesto is such great food. Easy enough to make, the only hardship is the price of pine nuts! I had found my local Mediterranean market to stock pine nuts at a good price, but during my last visit, they only had pine nuts still in the shell—a fresher product for eating, but way too much work for cooking. I have made pesto with walnuts in the past, but the resultant color is brighter and more appealing with pine nuts. 

A recent trip to Baltimore, saw us make a diversion to Trader Joe's, simply to avoid sitting standstill in traffic. I was able to buy a good quantity of pine nuts (Pignolias) there for around $10.

I have involved the kids in pesto making, from picking the basil from the garden, pushing the button on the blender, and tasting the pesto at regular intervals to test it. It is one of those foods made without too much care for exact quantities, but the following is a rough guide: 

PESTO RECIPE
Ingredients: 
1 big bunch of fresh basil (maybe 2 to 3 cups of leaves and soft stems)
3 cloves of chopped garlic
½ cup pine nuts
Juice of half a lemon
Extra virgin olive oil - ½ cup to start (more as required) 
Parmesan cheese - freshly grated - around 30oz/85gms
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste (if desired)

Method: 
Place basil leaves, pine nuts, lemon juice, garlic and ¼ cup of the olive oil into a blender. Pulse blend until chopped and combined. Add the grated cheese and remaining oil and blend, adding more oil if necessary to achieve a spreadable consistency. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Place pesto in a sterilized jar, smooth the top of the pesto and pour over a small amount of olive oil to cover the surface—to prevent the pesto from oxidizing and turning brown. 

Notes: 
Keep the pesto refrigerated and use it within a week or two. Extra light Olive Oil may be substituted as this gives a milder flavor that is often preferred by younger children. 
Pesto is great on pasta, zucchini noodles, pizza, a rub for baked chicken breasts or tenders, a salad dressing or topping for boiled potatoes (diluted with olive oil), spread for sandwich wraps or toasted paninis, spread on mini toasts with a slice of tomato and/or some mozzarella or goats cheese as an appetizer... The kids love taking pesto pasta to school for lunch. Pesto penne has proved to be a great side dish to serve at kids' parties. 

Cherry tomatoes, halved and tossed with some olive oil, salt, and pepper and roasted in the oven 180ºC/350ºF for 30 minutes.

For a firmer, less juicy tomato, bake in a colder oven for a longer time.

Fresh mozzarella pearls.

Toss hot spaghetti with pesto and top with mozzarella pearls and roasted tomatoes for a fast and easy meal that appeals to kids. 

Summer Pizza

Lovely big bunches of fresh basil transform into jars of pesto that lie in wait in our refrigerator. The Pesto is mixed through pasta, spread on toast with goats cheese, becomes a sandwich filling with grilled summer vegetables... and even tops a pizza from time to time. I make it with a big bunch of washed and dried basil, couple of cloves of garlic, olive oil, pine nuts and freshly grated parmesan (or other hard Italian cheese). If I find myself out of pine nuts, then I sometimes use walnuts. This is one of those foods that the kids love to help with - whizzing the blender and having several 'taste tests' along the way. Quantities are totally optional and so no two pestos are ever the same. 

I often slow-roast cherry tomatoes in the oven - especially as it cools after cooking something else. Coated with some olive oil and a light grind of salt (and sometimes pepper), I roast the halved tomatoes at around 350℉ for 30 minutes, then at around 200℉ for another hour or so... depending upon how 'dry' I want them to be. These become sweet and are oh-so-good thrown through pasta (sometimes with pesto), a salad or included on hors d'oeuvres. 

With some pesto and roasted tomatoes on hand, I decided to make a pizza. I was always a little scared of making my own pizza dough... until we got a mixer. Since being somewhat upset after burning out a motor of a handheld mixer, our KitchenAid (with dough hook), makes light work if it! I use a dough recipe from A Cooks Companion. 

Basic Pizza Dough 
Ingredients: 
2 sachets dried yeast (8.75g each)
1 tsp Salt 
400g flour
20ml Olive Oil
250ml Water (lukewarm)  

Method: 
Mix yeast, salt and flour using an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook. Mix water and oil into dry ingredients and knead for about 8 minutes until smooth and elastic. (Knead for 10-15 minutes if doing by hand). 
Grease a large bowl with olive oil (1 to 2 tsp). Place dough in bowl and cover with plastic wrap or tea towel. Keep in a warm, draught-free place and allow to rise to double size (approx. 90 minutes). 
Knock back dough, gently fold in 4. Cover and allow to rise again for another 30 to 45 minutes. 

Notes: 
I like using a combination of flour - All Purpose / White Wheat / Wholegrain / Bread Flour - dependent upon whim and desired flavor. Paul prefers heavier use of white flour as he likes the 'bready' taste and rise of the dough. I usually compromise with a 50/50 mix of All-Purpose and Wholewheat. 

Pesto Pizza 
I flattened the dough onto a baking tray and spread with Pesto. I then covered the dough with slices of fresh mozzarella cheese and topped with the slow roasted tomatoes. A quick grind of black pepper, drizzled oil (leftover from the tomatoes) and into a very hot oven for 10 minutes. We have a pizza stone - so I transferred the pizza to this to bake for another 5 to 8 minutes. The size was a little too hard to manage - and I ended up cutting the pizza in two to place on pizza stone. 
I topped the finished pizza with some torn basil leaves, slices of fresh tomato from the garden and a very light drizzle of balsamic vinegar.