Tag Archives: pesto recipes

Pesto Potatoes with Soft-Boiled Eggs

Posted on by November 19, 2014

I love pesto sauce, like all Summer sun worshippers and Italophiles and these Pesto Potatoes with Soft-Boiled Eggs encourage pesto for breakfast. And this time of year, when basil is still abundant, but it’s time to thinking about preserving Summer’s abundance, I make lots and lots of pesto and freeze it. After all, there’s only so much pesto al pasta and pizza with pesto sauce that you can eat in any given week, but when you make it and freeze it for winter, the number of pesto dishes a person is able to consume is (thankfully) greatly increased. But it doens’t have to be pasta that you make for pesto all winter long. When you need some variety, these Pesto Potatoes with Soft-Boiled Eggs are a delicious use that makes Pesto great for an easy weeknight dinner, or even a great brunch. It’s really simple; we’re just making an alternative potato salad and then topping it with soft-boiled eggs, instead of my standard poached. Pesto Potatoes with Soft-Boiled Eggs are also a great shoulder season meal, as the potatoes feel a little more substantial and fall, or perfect for getting to enjoy some of your fresh basil in the dead … Continue reading →

Soba Noodle Salad with Asian Pesto

Posted on by October 27, 2014

Soba Noodle Salad with Asian Pesto is one more delicious pesto use. This one requires a little modification, so I’ve written it out again, but it’s useful to compare it to the original so you get a sense of how to modify pesto type sauces in general. Soba Noodle Salad with Asian Pesto is a great salad to make year round as it’s fairly easy to find good quality cherry tomatoes, radishes and cukes all the time. It’s also quick and easy. And if you don’t think you’ll eat all the pasta at the same time, just cook what you need or cook it all but don’t add the pesto to all of it, because of the oil and acid in the pesto, it breaks down the noodles and makes them soggy. But if you store the extra noodles separately, they’ll be fine and you’ll have the joy of Soba Noodle Salad with Asian Pesto leftovers. 1 pound Asian eggplant Kosher salt ½ pound buckwheat soba noodles 1 cup cherry tomatoes 1 cup radishes 1 cup English cucumber Asian Pesto: 2 cups fresh basil leaves (thai if you can find them) ⅓ cup cashews 2-4 cloves of garlic ½ cup olive … Continue reading →

Orzo Salad with Dill Pesto

Posted on by October 27, 2014

Fortunately for me, August has finally brought some time to head down the shore (that’s Philly for go to the beach), which also is Philly for make some Orzo Salad with Dill Pesto. You see, I tend to pack a picnic for shore days; this way I can head straight to my favorite beach and settle in for the day. I couldn’t possibly put down my book long enough to go find lunch, so I plan ahead. I like to steam plain veggies and bring cheese, fruit and crackers or a nice pasta salad. Pasta salads are great for the beach; as long as you don’t use any dairy, they generally hold up well without refrigeration. This Orzo Salad with Dill Pesto is a fun variation on pesto. Cashews substitute well for pine nuts if you’re trying to be frugal. They have a rich flavor that gets closer to the oomph of pine nuts than a lot of other nuts. Check it out next time you’re looking at store-bought pesto, cashews will be on the ingredient list; a lot of companies use them to keep production costs down. The dill is strong enough that you won’t want to use it … Continue reading →

PESTO!

Posted on by October 28, 2014

Just in case you have basil coming out of your ears or your farm share and you don’t already have a pesto recipe… Here’s how I make PESTO!. I haven’t actually measured out my pesto ingredients in years, so when I made it this week, it was a fun exercise to measure, record, and compare to the recipe my mom gave me years ago, when I left for college. Another fun part of digging out my recipe was discovering that my Aunt Elly taught my mother to make pesto via a note written on the card. A food processor or blender makes this a dream. But making PESTO! can be done via mortar and pestle as well. In fact, that’s how it got its name. 2 cups fresh basil leaves (gently packed if you’re serious about measuring, or two big handfuls) ¼ cup pine nuts ½ cup fresh parmigiano reggiano cut into small pieces (or grated if you’re making it by hand) 2-4 cloves of garlic ½ cup olive oil 1 + teaspoons sea salt extra parm and pine nuts for garnish 1 pound spaghetti Put a big pot of salted water on the stove to boil. Wash and dry the … Continue reading →