PESTO TRACES ITS origins to Genoa, in Italy’s Liguria region. Ever
protective, the city’s Chamber of Commerce strictly limits the official
recipe to Mediterranean pignoli, Ligurian extra-virgin olive oil, Genoese
basil leaves, garlic, Parmigiano Reggiano Stravecchio, Pecorino Fiore
Sardo, coarse sea salt and nothing else, ever.
I refuse to reserve the pleasure of pesto for days when these ingredients
are on hand or in season. Good flat-leaf parsley is almost always
accessible and an ideal partner for the strong flavors of mint, marjoram
and arugula. Parsley-mint-pistachio is a favorite combination of mine.
Adding a spoonful of cream allows me, in turn, to add an extra clove of
garlic without overwhelming anyone’s palate. Missy Robbins, the chef of
Lilia in Brooklyn, makes a pesto of two parts parsley, one part marjoram,
to mellow the marjoram’s assertive fragrance. She also toasts the pine
nuts to deepen their flavor.
In the Trapani province of Sicily, cooks favor a red pesto Trapanese in
summer, when tomatoes are ripe and almonds abundant. Ms. Robbins
leaves the basil out of her version, focusing instead on Sicilian almonds
and pecorino. This pesto is delicious on olive-oil-rubbed grilled bread. In
another riff on pesto Trapanese, Jason Pfeifer of Maialino and Manhatta
in Manhattan nods to the Sicilian love of agrodolce (sweet-sour), adding
golden raisins and mint. It’s a bold sauce, as good on bruschetta as it is
with pasta or grilled fish.
Inspired by Mexican salsas, Gabe Kennedy of the Little Beet in
Manhattan makes a pesto using poblano peppers, pumpkin seeds and a
heady dose of cilantro. Though not canonically Italian, it’s terrific on
pasta.
I do have a few rules of my own when it comes to pesto. Since heat dulls
the vibrancy of the herbs, if I’m pulverizing in a food processor I like to
first chill the blade for 10 minutes in the refrigerator. Using the pulse
button helps keep the processor cool and the resulting pesto textured.
The goal is not a smooth pureé, but, rather, an amalgamated whole that
retains a bit of bite.
Ms. Robbins does things a bit differently when making her broccoli
pesto. She blanches broccoli and broccoli rabe three times, a trick that
tenderizes the vegetables while preserving their vivid green color. She
even blanches the basil. It’s the most time-consuming of the recipes
here, and perhaps the strongest argument for breaking the rules.TOTAL TIME 30 minutes MAKES 5 cups
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cut 2 heads broccoli into
florets, discarding stems. Remove stems from 1 bunch broccoli rabe.
Prepare an ice bath. Blanch broccoli in boiling water until tender but still
green, about 2 minutes. Transfer broccoli to ice bath. Repeat process 2
times. Lightly pat broccoli dry. Replenish ice bath as ice melts. Blanch
broccoli rabe until tender, about 2 minutes and transfer to ice bath.
Repeat 2 times. Lightly pat broccoli rabe dry and gently wring out as
much water as possible. Roughly chop broccoli rabe and set aside.
Blanch 3 cups basil leaves with tender stems for 30 seconds and
transfer to ice bath. Pat basil dry and gently wring out as much water as
possible. In the bowl of a food processor, combine 5 cloves garlic, 1
cup pistachios and 1½ cups olive oil. Pulse to roughly chop. Add
broccoli and broccoli rabe, and pulse to chop finely. Add basil and pulse
to integrate. Add 1 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano and 1 cup
Pecorino Romano. Pulse until pesto comes together but still retains a
coarse texture.
—Adapted from Missy Robbins of Lilia, New York
The Wall Street
Journal, Food Styling by Eleanore Park
TOTAL TIME 15 minutes MAKES 1 cup
Place the blade of a food processor in the refrigerator to cool for at least
10 minutes. Return blade to food processor. Add 3 small cloves garlic,
¼ cup pine nuts and 1 teaspoon coarse sea salt. Pulse to break up.
Add 1½ cups flat-leaf parsley leaves and ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil,
pulsing until ingredients are well-combined. Add ¾ cup marjoram
leaves and pulse to incorporate. Add ¼ cup grated Pecorino Sardo
and ¼ cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano. Pulse to combine. Season
with more salt to taste. If not serving immediately, transfer to an airtight
container. Pour a thin layer of olive oil over top. Cover and refrigerate up
to 10 hours.
—Adapted from Missy Robbins,F. Martin Ramin/The Wall Street Journal TOTAL TIME 20 minutes MAKES 3 cups
Score an “x” on the bottoms of 4 cups cherry tomatoes. In a large
skillet, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over high heat. Add cherry
tomatoes and cook until skins begin to blister, about 5 minutes. Remove
from pan and cool slightly. Slip skins off tomatoes. Discard skins. In the
bowl of a food processor, combine skinned tomatoes, 1 cup Marcona or
Sicilian almonds and 3 cloves garlic. Pulse to combine. (Mixture
should remain quite chunky.) Add ¼ cup olive oil and pulse to
incorporate. Add ½ cup grated Pecorino Sardo and a pinch of red
pepper flakes. Pulse to combine. Season with salt to taste.
—Adapted from Missy Robbins
The Wall Street
Journal, Food Styling by Eleanore Park
TOTAL TIME 15 minutes MAKES 2 cups
Place the blade of a food processor in the refrigerator to cool for at least
10 minutes. Return blade to food processor. Add ½ cup lightly toasted
almonds, ½ clove garlic and ¾ cup golden raisins. Pulse to roughly
chop. Add 1¾ cups cherry tomatoes, ¾ cup basil leaves and ½ cup
mint leaves. Pulse until ingredients are well-combined. Add ½ cup
extra-virgin olive oil. Pulse until ingredients come together. Season to
taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Serve with
Parmigiano Reggiano on the side.
—Adapted from Jason Pfeifer of Maialino and Manhatta, New York City
Journal, Food Styling by Eleanore Park
TOTAL TIME 10 minutes MAKES 1 cup
Place the blade of a food processor in the refrigerator to cool for at least
10 minutes. Return blade to food processor. Add 3 cloves garlic and ⅓
cup chopped pistachios, and pulse to roughly chop. Add 1½ cups
parsley leaves and ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil, and pulse until
ingredients are well-combined. Add ½ cup mint leaves and pulse to
roughly chop. Add 2 teaspoons heavy cream, 1 teaspoon sea salt and
⅔ cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano. Pulse until combined. If not
serving immediately, transfer to an airtight container. Pour a thin layer of
olive oil over top. Cover and refrigerate up to 10 hours.The Wall Street
Journal, Food Styling by Eleanore Park
TOTAL TIME 10 minutes MAKES 2 cups
Place 6 poblano or cubanelle peppers directly on burner of gas stove
set to high heat. Or, place peppers on a baking sheet under broiler set to
high heat. Turn peppers until charred all over. Remove from heat and
transfer to a large bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside until cool
enough to handle. Remove skin from flesh. Discard skin and seeds.
Roughly chop roasted peppers and transfer to a food processor. Add 2
cups chopped cilantro, 2 cloves garlic, minced, 1 tablespoon
chopped shallots, 1 cup toasted pumpkin seeds, juice and zest of 2
limes, 1 teaspoon salt, and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Pulse until
mixture comes together into a coarse consistency. Pesto can be made
up to 5 days ahead and kept covered in the refrigerator.—Adapted from Gabe K