Pesto and Pesto Sauce

Pesto came of new age about 10 years ago when variations such as lemon-walnut-cilantro pesto started popping up in restaurants and on grocery shelves. While these variations can be interesting, especially when served as a marinade or dipping sauce, none of them threatens the original as an indispensable condiment for Italian cooking.

This recipe is a very traditional approach to pesto, except that I have replaced black pepper with pepper sauce; Tabasco is one such brand. Pesto is generally used as a seasoning in other preparations or put on pasta after it is drained to add flavor and help prevent sticking. The pesto sauce recipe that follows was formulated to capture pesto’s flavor in a sauce that can be served on top of cooked past. We make this pesto sauce as one of three sauce recipes in my Italian I class. I like to coat a plate of freshly made egg noodles with all three sauces and enjoy them separately and as they blend together.

Ingredients

For the pesto: 1/4 cup minced garlic, 1/2 cup pine nuts, 2 cups snugly packed fresh basil, 1/2 cup olive oil, 1/2 cup parmesan, 1/2 cup Romano cheese, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp pepper sauce.

For the pesto sauce: 1 1/2 oz julienne sun-dried tomatoes, 1 C white wine, 3 oz pitted Kalamata olives, salt and pepper to taste, water as needed.

Method

For the pesto:

1. The pine nuts may be toasted in a 300 degrees oven for about 10 minutes or until lightly browned, if desired. Cool them to room temperature before using.
2. Place all pesto ingredients in a food processor equipped with the metal blade. Puree until all ingredients are chopped very fine and blended well.
3. This is traditional pesto. You may use as is within two weeks by storing in the refrigerator or store in the freezer to preserve over a longer period.

For the pesto sauce:

1. Refresh sun-dried tomatoes by covering with water in a pan or in a glass bowl for the microwave. Place a suitable cover over the pan or bowl as you bring the water to a boil. Once the water boils, remove from heat and sit covered for 5-10 minutes. If the tomatoes are particularly dry, the process may need to be repeated.
2. The olives can be quartered, halved, or left whole.
3. Saute the pesto at a medium heat for 3-5 minutes before adding the other ingredients. Let the sauce simmer until the basil loses its bright green color. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Adjust the consistency if necessary with water. Serve over your favorite pasta.