Minted Walnut Pesto

Time for basil harvest. This year I mix both regular basil with small leaf Greek basil - a new find at the nursery this year. Greek basil is very aromatic and I'm using it in more and more dishes, fresh from the bush.

Here I amp up the basil with fresh mint - abundant as the basil in the herb garden this time of year.

1/4 cup walnuts

2 cloves fresh garlic, peeled

4 cups slightly packed fresh basil leaves

1 cup fresh mint leaves

1 cup olive oil

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Pulse the walnuts and garlic in a large food processor until you have a fine meal.

Add the basil and mint leaves and pulse 10-12 times until leaves begin to mince. Add the oil and process until smooth.

Remove basil mixture to a bowl and stir in the parmesan cheese.

Makes about 1-1/2 cup pesto.

Cook’s note: I do not blanch my basil leaves beforehand. If you do, dry the leaves in a salad spinner as best you can. While blanching can reduce the browning (oxidation) of the pesto on standing, I do not find the oxidation degrades the quality of the pesto to any noticeable degree. More discerning pallets may disagree, but I’m not sure it’s worth the additional complexity of the process.

You can certainly use pine nuts for a more traditional pesto. Hazelnuts are also fantastic in pesto for an additional woody/nutty flavor.

Smal-leafed Greek basil is especially aromatic and adds even more flavor to pesto.

Comments

Chicken Piccata over Squid Ink Pasta

Serve this delicious lemony piccata over your favorite pasta. 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, pounded to 1/2-inch thick cutlets 1/4 cup flour 1 lemon sliced and de-seeded 2 Tbsp butter plus 1 Tbsp olive oil 2 Tbsp capers 2 cloves garlic, minced 1/4 cup dry white wine crushed red pepper flakes, to taste 8 oz squid ink pasta fresh parsley for garnish Melt butter in the oil in a skillet. Fry the lemon slices for a few minutes, just until beginning to brown. Set aside on a plate. Lightly salt and pepper each chicken breast. Dredge the chicken in the flour and brown the first side of each in the butter mixture in the skillet. Flip to brown second side. Cook over low heat for a total of about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, bring 2 quarts of well-salted water to a boil for the pasta. Cook until just al dente. Remove chicken to a plate when cooked through. Add capers and garlic to skillet a...

Umami Beef Short Ribs Samin Nosrat

This is the penultimate prep for beef short ribs. Based on the superb documentary by Samin Nosrat, Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat, this is the most umami rib dish you will ever have. Its the combination of red miso and soy sauce that marinates and flavors the beef - give it a long time to work right - that means overnight in the fridge; it's worth the planning ahead. 6 beef short ribs on the bone, about 3-4 lb 1 large sweet yellow onion, diced 2 stalks celery, diced 1 jalapeño pepper, minced 4 cloves garlic, halved Marinade: 1/4 cup red miso 1/4 cup soy sauce 1/4 cup pale dry sherry or Mirin rice wine 1 Tbsp sesame oil 1 Tbsp honey 2 cloves garlic, minced Salt the ribs generously with coarse salt and let rest overnight in the refrigerator in a resealable plastic bag. Whisk together the marinade. Pour into the plastic bag and allow to marinate on the counter for about 2-3 hours, or again overnight in the refrigerator. Preheat...

Tzatziki

Tzatziki is a wonderful Greek yogurt dip and condiment. It's great with pita bread or veggies, or as a topping on all kinds of grilled foods. Make sure you use a full fat, thick Greek yogurt, and that you squeeze as much water out of the grated cucumber as you can - you don't want a watery Tzatziki; it should be thick and rich. 1/2 English cucumber (about 6-inches), sliced lengthwise in half 1/4 tsp kosher salt 1 cup full fat Greek Yogurt (I used Fage 5%) 2 cloves garlic, grated with microplane or minced through a press 1/2 shallot, very finely diced 1 Tbsp fresh dill weed, minced (or 1/4 tsp dried dill) 1/8 tsp Aleppo red pepper (or fine-ground Korean chili pepper), or to taste 1 tsp red wine vinegar Cut cucumber in half lengthwise. Use a teaspoon to gently scrape out the seeds in the center of each half. Coarsely grate cucumber and toss in a colander with the salt. Allow to sit 10-15 minutes. Squeeze water from cucumber and then tip onto the center of a full-sized paper t...

Cuisine Eric

Search This Blog