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Low fat all-purpose pesto
I developed this recipe with help from Ethan Milkes, the owner
of Generation Farms. I told Ethan that I wanted a less oily version
of pesto. He told me that I could cut down on the oil by blanching
the basil, which prevents the chopped herb from turning gray when
exposed to air. Totally immersing the basil in oil prevents it
from turning gray. Blanching it accomplishes the same thing, but
allows for less oil in the recipe. I resisted, thinking if I blanched
the basil, the pesto wouldn’t be “authentic.“ Well,
less oily pesto is not authentic, but it’s delicious and
versatile. It can be kept in the refrigerator for a week or more
to used on hot pasta or as a spread. It doesn’t turn dingy
gray and it retains most of its flavor. Ethan suggested using pistachios.
Once again, his advice was right on target.
A version of this recipe was published in an article I wrote for
the Dallas Morning News. At the request of people on my recent
tour of Generations Farms, here is the recipe:
1 generous cup basil leaves, removed from stems (don’t squash
them when measuring, or the basil will bruise and begin to turn
gray).
¼ cup toasted* nuts finely chopped (pine nuts, walnuts,
pecans or pistachios all work well)
¼ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 Tablespoons chicken or vegetable broth
1 or 2 cloves fresh garlic, finely chopped
½ to ¾ pound dried pasta
Fill a large pot with water for pasta and bring it to a boil.
It you have a two-piece pasta pot, use it. Use a wooden spoon to
push the basil leaves down into the water, and immediately remove
the leaves from the pot. If using a regular pot, take the basil
leaves out of the boiling water immediately with a slotted spoon,
and immerse in cold water. If using a pasta pot, put the top of
the pot into the sink immediately and run cold water over the basil.
Squeeze the water out of the blanched basil and chop it in a food
processor or blender.
Put pasta on to cook, using the same pot of water. Add the nuts,
cheese, garlic to the chopped pasta in the food processor and blend.
While the food processor is running, add the oil and broth through
the feed tube, or all at once if using a blender. .Process until
smooth. When the pasta is cooked and drained, add the pesto, one
dollop at a time, tossing until you have the amount of pesto you
want on the pasta. If the pesto is too thick to toss, add a spoonful
of hot pasta water to the pesto. If you have leftover pesto, use
it as a sandwich spread or to dollop on fish. It will keep in the
refrigerator for a week or more.
*toasting nuts enhances their flavor. Put nuts in a single layer
on a cookie sheet in a 350 degree oven. Larger nuts will brown
lightly in approximately five minutes or so, but watch smaller
nuts like pine nuts. They need only a minute or two. If nuts are
getting too brown, take them out of the oven and immediately remove
them from the cookie sheet, so the hot cookie sheet doesn’t
continue to brown them.
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