For those of you who make pesto from scratch

[sraun]

I'm going to have my first go at doing so tonight, and I've got a question - how thoroughly do you get rid of the stems?

Also, what's your favorite proportions? I've seen anywhere between 2:1 and 6:1 for the basil:pine-nuts ratio, the ratio for parmesan:pine-nuts seems to run about 1:1.

Comments

[dd-b.livejournal.com]

Huh, people put pine nuts in pesto? Why?

(Okay, just kidding.)

The important things are the basil and the garlic. Vaguely equal quantities, if you're using frozen pureed basil (which we will freeze in ice cube trays during basil season).

[quadong.livejournal.com]

I just food-process the heck out of the (green) stems.

I agree about the cheese.

The proportion question that you haven't asked is how much oil to use. I've seen recipes range from reasonable to way overboard, imho. Put just enough in at the beginning to lubricate the other ingredients, then add more until it's how you like it.

[quadong.livejournal.com]

I fail at clicking the correct link. Read the above as a direct reply to Scott, please.

Pesto

[minnehaha.livejournal.com]

I destem pretty thoroughly. It's easy, though.

And the ratio really depends on the freshness of the ingredients. Play around until you find something you like.

(I make a pistachio-sage pesto that's absolutely delicious.)

B

[dreamshark.livejournal.com]

Recipes, people? We got all that basil in our CSA this week...

Pesto

[lsanderson.livejournal.com]

You can leave some tender stems in. Woody you don't want.

Don't worry about the cheese. You can throw that on at the table to taste. Taste is best, but the nuts, garlic, and basil is what needs to be blended. The pine nuts are the expensive ingredient, so they're usually lightly used.

[meletor-et-al.livejournal.com]

feel free to be as sparing as you want with the pine nuts (i usually roll a 1:4 pine nuts:basil ratio by volume, but that's just me) -- but things definitely get about eighty billion times better if you lightly toast the pine nuts (and let them cool, obviously) first.

fwiw, here's what i do -- of course i tend to figure my pesto by hand (literally), so it looks something like this:
a fistful of basil, hacked up (sometimes i just knife-chop it, but for most applications i throw it in a food processor) with
a big clove of garlic,
enough pine nuts to fit in the palm of my hand, and
a good handful of parmesan/romano blend, whizzed up with enough good-quality olive oil to get it the consistency i want (which differs, of course, based on the pesto's destiny).

lsanderson makes a good point about the cheese, though (and keep in mind that, as my recipe-type-thing shows, i am a cheese fiend), but i do like to have at least an ounce or two in there when i hack at it because the saltiness of the cheese gives a baseline seasoning level.

Pesto delle Strege

[magentamn.livejournal.com]

1/2 c pine nuts, sunflower seeds or walnuts. (I actually prefer sunflower seeds)
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan or parmesan/romano
1/4 cup soft butter
4 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup olive oil
a pinch of cayenne
1 cup tightly packed basil, leaves only, no stems if possible
a few leaves of marjoram
3 sprigs of parsley

Chop nuts, grate cheese then mix nuts, cheese and butter in a bowl. Pulse garlic in food processor, add oil, salt, cayenne, marjoram and parsley and blend. Add basil slowly, blending to a paste, Pour in the bowl with the nuts etc. and mix. Toss with hot pasta.

If you are going to freeze pesto, omit cheese. I've also been know to add the nuts and a little butter at the end, rather than mixing separately. Butter adds a nice touch, but isn't essential. Be careful with the cayenne; I think it adds an interesting note, but it's not for everyone.

I think it's time for another batch...

[trixtah.livejournal.com]

I just pull off the stems at the part where it goes from soft to more "woody". But since it's all going to be pulverised, no big.