Pesto Sauce
In cooking camp yesterday the kids made fresh pesto sauce. I wasn’t 100% sure if they would like, but it turns out it was one of their favorite dishes.
Pesto is most often made with basil, but there are a lot of variations out there. Pesto can be made from parsley, sun dried tomatoes, spinach or mint.
I must admit to being a big fan of the original.
I make pesto often when I have fresh basil. I also freeze basil with olive oil, so I can make it all year long. Pesto can be tossed with pasta, rice, potatoes or other veggies. I also like pesto on chicken.
Basil Pesto Sauce
1 c. tightly packed basil leaves
1/4 c. olive oil, or more as needed
3-4 cloves garlic
Salt to taste
1/2 c. pine nuts, sunflower seeds, pecans or walnuts- I like to toast the nuts first
1 c. fresh grated Parmesan cheese
Combine all ingredients, except the cheese, in a blender and mix until smooth. Stir in the cheese and toss over hot, cooked pasta or use as a sauce on meat and poultry. Sauce will keep a few days in the fridge and makes about 1 1/2 cups, enough for 1 lb. of cooked pasta.
Preserving Basil On New Day Cleveland
Here is my latest television appearance. I had so much fun on the show. David Moss is a lot of fun to talk cooking with. Everyone that works on the show make me feel welcome. Always a good time.
Tomato Basil Breadsticks
I have had a lot of breadsticks over the years, but honestly, I didn’t like most of them. They were always too dry or flavorless. I love these. They are full of flavor and while you can bake them until they are really crisp, you can also bake them until they are still a little tender and chewy, rather than crisp.
Tomato Basil Breadsticks
2 T. olive oil
1/3 c. chopped onion
2 cloves minced garlic
1/2 c. tomato puree
1/3 c. water
3-3 1/2 c. flour
2 t. salt
1 t. sugar
2 t. dried basil
1 packet fast-acting yeast
1 egg combined with 1T. water
coarse salt for sprinkling
Sauté onion and garlic in oil until onion is tender. Stir in tomato puree and water and combine well. In bowl, with electric mixer combine 3 c. of the flour with salt, sugar, basil and yeast and stir in tomato mixture. Beat until smooth, adding the rest of the flour, Mixture should be sticky. Place dough in a well-oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and chill overnight. Pinch off walnut-sized pieces of the dough and roll into 8-inch long strips. Place on baking sheets covered with parchment paper. Brush lightly with the egg wash and sprinkle with the salt. Bake in upper third of 325-degree oven (it will take 2 batches) for 45 minutes (soft breadsticks) or 1 1/2 hours (crisp breadsticks). Makes about 25.